Reflection in the Mirror
by Wherever Girl
Summary: Based on Midnight Gypsie's Don't Rub The Lamp! series. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: Lynn

Well, inspiration has struck me again for another story-- (tomato flies overhead) ACK!! Okay, yes, I know I still have several other fics to finish, but give me a break! This is a good one, really! (gets glowers from readers) Here, just read the summary:

_Lynn Elizabeth Arrow, forced into orphanhood after her mother's death, is suddenly whisked away into her favorite Disney movie: __Beauty and the Beast__. Inspired by Midnight Gypsy's __**Don't Rub The Lamp! **__series._

Yeah, I know you've probably read several fics similar to this before, but I just had to write it! (watermelon flies over shoulder) Whoa! Hey! Listen, I'll finish my stories, just let me write this one, okay? (mob nods) Alright, good. And... oh, not this part...

Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast. All characters except Lynn belong to me. Got it? Good.

Now, let's get on with it!

* * *

"Happy birthday, Mom." I said, kneeling down by the grave and placing a small bouquet of roses I picked in front of the headstone, a tear falling down my eye.

When I was born, my father had left us-- so, my mom told me-- and she was left to take care of me on her own. Luckily, she always found a way to manage, and as I got older, I tried hard not to be such a burden, and even helped her out around the house.

We were more like sisters than mother-and-daughter. We always baked together, and were always to trust each other with secrets so we could tell each other anything, and no matter what kind of argument we got into, we'd always make up in the end.

We baked together, cleaned the house together, and shopped together, just like any mother and daughter. But the one thing we both loved to do the most was work in the garden, where we grew roses. No daisies, no lilies, just roses, my mother's most favorite flower.

Next to working in the garden, there was one other thing my mom and I loved to do: watch my all-time favorite Disney movie, _Beauty and the Beast_. We both were obsessed with that movie! When cleaning, my mom would always hum "Be Our Guest" and I'd join in, and when I was little, she'd always sing the song from the scene where Belle and the Beast were dancing, "Beauty and the Beast" to be specific. Life was good...

...until my mom began to grow sick. At first, it was just mild stomach aches and fevers, but soon she grew too weak to get out of bed. I called the hospital when she couldn't even move in bed, and an ambulance came and picked us up. I wasn't going to leave my mother's side.

After she was examined, the doctor told me she was diagnosed an internal illness, and only had a couple days to live. I was devastated, but I hid my emotion, just to keep my mother from feeling worse.

She was to stay in the hospital, the doctors recommended, since moving her might make her condition worse. _What could be worse than being on the edge of dying?_ I thought bitterly, but didn't ask. I didn't want to know. I visited her every hour of the day, bringing her gifts such as roses (of course) and a box of chocolates, even a stuffed bear my father had given to her on their 3rd date.

I stayed the second night of my visit in the hospital with my mom, despite the doctor's order that I should head home. I told him that I wanted to spend as much of my time with my mother as I could, and he let me stay out of sympathy. I took out _Beauty and the Beast_ and put it in the TV's video player in Mom's room, and together we watched it. My mom smiled at me, and a tear rolled down her eye, happy that I was doing all this for her. She held my hand, and we didn't let go through the whole movie.

At the final scene, as the chorus sang, I felt my mother's grip weaken. I looked over at her-- her eyes her shut, but her smile remained. She had stopped breathing, and I began to bawl. She had died.

_At least I made her last moments meaningful, _I told myself, but that didn't stop my tears from falling.

The funeral was long, but I didn't hear much of what everyone said. A few friends of my mom's were weeping, and my classmates who attended were very sympathetic, but all I did was look at my mother's casket-- a black coffin rimmed with a gold trim with dozens of roses on top of it.

What the worst part was that my mom had no siblings, and my grandparents had passed away years ago, and there was no one who would take me into foster-care, so what did that mean?

It meant I was sent to an orphanage. I was ten, with long black hair and green eyes. I always hid in a room or closet when people came by to adopt a kid so I wouldn't be taken home with anyone. I didn't want a new mother... I couldn't bare to replace my one-and-only real mom. So, I remained at the orphanage my entire childhood...

And now, eight years later at the age of 18, I sat at my mother's grave, weeping. I still missed her. I had gotten out of the orphanage and used my security check to buy an apartment, and to buy a car-- a small Oldsmobile, nothing too classy.

Once I was through mourning, I climbed into my car and drove out of the cemetery, and on my CD the most coincidental song played...

_Tale as old as time,_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast..._

And I bursted back into tears, having to pull over on the side of the street because my tears began to blur my vision. It was my favorite song, but it also sounded like a funeral hymn for my mother.

My name is Lynn, and this is my story.

* * *

A/N: So sad... but don't worry, it'll get better soon! (ducks an oncoming tomato) Ack! Okay, I'll get back to writing! Sheesh!

Please review, but no flames... unless you're giving my a flamethrower.


	2. Chapter 2: No Life For now

Wow, this story sure got some reviews, quick!

jyushi girl: *takes a bow* Thank you very much. ...BTW, can I borrow your flamethrower if you get one? (lol)

Beastly Rose: Yeah, I know it's sad... But, every sadness has a joy waiting for it.

Disclaimer: I just own Lynn, so don't call any Disney Lawyers.

* * *

I had decided to use the rest of my savings to enroll in college... at least, that was my plan, but I never got accepted. So, all I did was work as a waitress in a restaurant, though I had little pay since there were dozens... no, _hundreds_ of other people working there, so of course there was budget cuts.

_Oh, well. It's better than nothing. _I told myself. _...Even though I have nothing... _My optimistic attitude never really lasted long. I went back into the kitchen to wash the dishes. It was quiet... and boring...

...Which caused me to start humming, "Be Our Guest" as I worked. "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test..." I eventually began to sing, a grin spreading on my face. "Tie your napkin around your neck, cherie, and we provide the rest--"

"Beauty and the Beast fan, I take it?" A voice said behind me, startling me and making me nearly drop a dish.

I turned around, and my heart skipped a beat. "Eddie!" I gasped, facing the tall, brunette-haired, slightly muscular yet scrawny blue-eyed man before me.

"Eddie? I don't recall _that_ part of the song." he smiled, showing his pearly white teeth.

"Er, uh... What are you doing here?"

"I work here, remember?" he looked at the clock. "And it's time for my shift... which means it's time that you get to go home and finally relax."

I looked at the clock. 4 PM. "Oh! Yeah, I guess you're right. ...Well, um, see ya then!"

"Hey, wait!" I stopped. "You think, maybe after I got off, that you would like to join me for a movie?"

My heart began to race. "Well, um---" _Say 'yes', you idiot! _I told myself.

Before I could get the words out, two blonde-haired girls stepped between me and Eddie. They were none other than Betty and Betsy, my all-time greatest rivals. They had an outrageous crush on Eddie... and would make sure I wouldn't interfere.

"Hi, Edward!" Betty and Betsy said in unison.

"Hey, Ed, Betty and I were wondering if you'd like to see a movie after work this afternoon." Betsy said.

"Yes, it will be fun!" Betty added.

"Well, girls, I would love to, but---" Eddie began to protest, but the twins wouldn't here it.

"Great! Pick us up at seven!" They walked past me and sneered, Betty stuck her tongue out at me.

"I guess I won't be going to the movies," Eddie shrugged. "Oh well. ...How about dinner?"

Once again, I was interrupted when a man-- our boss, the head chef-- burst in. "Richardson!" he called to Eddie. "We need service at Table Five!"

"Coming, sir!" Eddie gave me a wink and walked out the door...

...While I walked out of the restaurant, scolding myself. _You moron! Why didn't you just say 'yes'?! Why did you let yourself get interrupted?!_

_Because I'm just... too nice. _I thought, bitterly. Sure, I had attitude and showed it, but the sad truth remained that... I wasn't as tough as I acted. It was just a mask put over the hurt I felt for years.

"Why, hi there, Lynn." A smooth voice said. Sneering, I turned around and saw a boy in a blue, classy jacket and white shirt, with gelled black-hair, brown eyes, and a cheesy white smile. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Tyler, will you stop waiting outside for me?" I scoffed. "I told you, I'm not interested. Besides, I've got things to do right now, so I don't have time for your smarmy-ness."

He let out a huff. "Oh, come on, Lynn! You know you have no life. You need to get out and go have a good time, have fun, hang out with someone this weekend... like me."

I rolled my eyes. "Like I said, I'm not interested."

He approached me, his eyes showing determination. "We do this every day, Lynn... and unless you say yes, I'm not going to stop. So, just come here---"

"Back off!" I finally pushed him away into the garbage cans. I couldn't help it, the guy was annoying me!

"What's going on out here?" Eddie asked, rushing out.

"Oy..." Tyler moaned, holding his chest. "My ribs... I think you broke my ribs!"

"What?!" I snapped. Like I pushed him _that_ hard! As I've said before, I'm not as tough as I act, so there was no way I could have broken his ribs, let alone even leave a bruise!

"Man, Lynn, what'd you do?" Eddie asked me. He helped Tyler up.

"All I did was ask you out!" Tyler whined, going into a pitiful act. "All you had to do was say 'no'! WHY MUST YOU BE SO HURTFUL?!"

"Come on, man, let's check out those ribs."

I couldn't believe it! The man who had asked me to dinner was now buying a story from the guy who was forcing me on a date?! Devastated, I ran off, not only because I wanted to get away from Tyler, but also because I didn't want to let anyone see me cry. Though, by the time I got to my car, the urge to cry had passed. "Man, I'm pathetic." I told myself. I thought about going back and telling Eddie my side of the story. _I'll tell him later... _I thought, sighing. I was too tired to argue on my case... that, and I feared he wouldn't believe me.

Not many people did, after all.

* * *

I got back to my apartment, then walked into my bedroom, and decided to take a nap. Ironically, I was too bored to sleep. I sighed, deeply. "I need a life." I said to myself. On my nightstand sat a mirror. It had a silver-white rim, and the glass was well-polished. Joking around, I asked my reflection, "Show me a better life."

Suddenly, an array of sparkles shimmered over my reflection in the mirror, and suddenly a small reflection of a provincial town appeared. _What the heck?! _I thought in shock, wondering if I was going crazy.

A glimmering green mist then swirled out of the mirror, enveloping me and pulling me right into _the reflection in the mirror! _Only one word escaped my lips before I was sucked in and blacked out:

"MOMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"

* * *

A/N: Sorry this was a short chapter, but I just couldn't resist jumping to the plot ^-^ Also, note that the end of this chapter is like the end of the second (or third?) chapter of the first "Don't Rub The Lamp!" story... except this time it includes a mirror, one girl, and the word 'mommy'.

Well... Review, please! But if you flame me (lifts up plastic fork) the consequences will be dire.


	3. Chapter 3: A Provincial Town

(dodges a rotten tomato) Ack! Okay, here's the next chapter! No need to get feisty! Whoa! (ducks)

*Splat!*

Alright, who threw the pumpkin?!

_Disclaimer: Do I look like a Disney producer?! I don't own Beauty and the Beast, just Lynn. Alrighty then!_

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was outside. The second thing I noticed was that I was in a different town. And the last thing I noticed was... I was a cartoon! I saw my hands and gasped, then ran to a water-barrel and saw my reflection in the water.

I was 100% cartoon. And, though it freaked me out, I found it quite cool. My short black hair seemed smoother and shinier, and my skin didn't have a single blemish. _I must be dreaming... _I thought.

"You there, girl!" A voice yelled. I turned around and saw a bald man with a thick mustache wearing an apron facing me, holding an ax. "Who are you?"

I studied the man. His clothes seemed to be an older style... In fact, looking all around, I saw that _everyone's_ clothes were an older style! (Like, 1800s Province, style!) ...Well, everyone except one person.

Me. I was wearing jeans and a red T-shirt... obviously the new style in a hundred years.

"Um... Lynn." I replied, nervously. _Where am I? _I wondered.

"Are you a foreigner?" A man with a thick black beard and deeper voice asked.

"Where did you come from?" Another man with a beard along his chin, wearing a chef's hat and apron asked.

"Um... I'm just a traveler." I replied, wishing that I had paid more attention in History Class. "I've just came from... England?" It was the worst answer I could give, but surprisingly, it worked.

"Well, that's quite a way's away." The man with the thick beard said. "I have a cousin from England. His name is Richard. Do you know him?"

I shook my head. "No, I---"

"I've never seen clothes like that in England." A woman wearing a purple dress and blonde wig said. "I've been there once, and I have never seen clothing like that."

"Um, well---"

"Your outfit is quite peculiar." The bald man with the mustache said, eyeing me warily. "Are you sure you're from England?"

"Like I said, I'm just a traveler. I'm not officially from England..."

"Then where _are_ you from?" Another woman, this one with brown hair tied back and wearing a bonnet.

A crowd of people began to gather around me, asking all sorts of questions, "Why is your hair so short?", "Why aren't you wearing a dress?", "What land are you from?"

"I'm sorry, I... Please, I need to..." I tried to walk past them, but there were too many. Finally, I lost my temper. "ENOUGH!!" Everybody grew quiet. And I grew embarrassed. I saw a small clearing in the crowd, where only a couple people stood, and I ran past them, trying to get away from all the shouts and calls from them.

I ran over to a wooden bridge over a small creak, leaning against the railing of it, breathing heavily. _What is with those people? _I thought. _Why do they have to be so questionable?_

I looked back at the town. Some people were still staring at me, but going about their business nonetheless. I know I've seen some of them around before... I just don't remember where. The town also looked familiar.

I looked over to my left, seeing a small house by a wide field, with a small pen at the side of it, kind of like the house Belle lived in...

Then it hit me. It looked like Belle's house because it _was_ Belle's house! ...I was in _Beauty and the Beast_! "Now I _know_ I'm dreaming..." I said.

"About what?" A voice said behind me. I spun around in surprise, facing a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl with rose-red lips, wearing a green dress and a blue apron over it.

My heart almost leaped. I was standing right in front of Belle! "Um... Um nothing!" I stammered, trying to keep my cool.

"Well, it can't be nothing. Dreaming always involves something, doesn't it?"

I nodded. "I guess so..."

"So... What were you dreaming? ...Or, at least_ thought_ you dreamed?"

"Oh, I just thought I saw a... purple frog in the creak!" Lame excuse number 2.

Belle laughed. "You have quite the imagination if you saw something like that. ...Oh, where are my manners? My name is Belle, what is yours?"

"Lynn." I smiled and stuck out my hand to shake hers.

She laughed again. "You greet like a gentleman."

I lowered my hand, feeling embarrassed once again. "Um, sorry. I'm sort of from another town, and that's how we greet one another, both men and women..."

Belle took my hand and shook it. "Well, a greeting is a greeting, isn't it? Please to meet you, Lynn."

"You too, Belle. You're the first person who didn't question me."

"Question you?"

"Yeah, a ton of people in town kept pestering me about my clothes and hair and... Well, everything." Then I grew anxious, worried that Belle would start asking the same questions.

"Well, I must admit, your outfit is quite different, and your hair is quite short, too. But, then again, that is probably how many people look from where you're from. Not all people of every country wear the same thing, do they?"

"Exactly!" Finally, someone who understood!

"By the way, where are you from?"

"Um... not any place in particular. I'm just a traveler, so I don't really live anywhere." _Except my apartment back in my own world. _I thought.

"What about your family?"

I winced, the memory of my mother coming back to me. "I'm... an orphan. My mother died when I was young, and I never met my own father."

"Oh. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. At least you asked a more decent question, other than the rest of the people back there."

"You can just ignore them. They always get nervous of anyone who's different. Especially me." She smiled.

I mentally kicked myself. Of _course_ Belle knew how I felt, that's why she didn't jump all over me like the rest of the town. "I'm so glad you understand! It's about time I met someone who didn't bombard me with questions."

"Well, I'm happy to hear that. So, where are you planning on going, next?"

"I... don't really know. I've already come such a long way," ---and that was the truth--- "I think I'll just look for a place to stay... If I can find one." _Which will be impossible. _I thought. I had no money-- especially the kind they used here-- and I doubt there were any Inns that would let someone stay for free... especially with me.

"You can come stay with me," It was as if Belle could read my mind.

"Really?"

"Of course! My father and I are always welcome to have a guest stay with us."

"Well, okay... but only until I can find somewhere else. I'd hate to be a burden---"

"Oh, nonsense! You can stay as long as you want! My father and I always like to have company around."

"If you say so... But, I promise, I do some work for you both to earn my stay. I don't want to be a free-lagger."

"Okay, if you'd like. My father always needs help, anyway."

I thought about the movie, remembering the scene where Maurice (Belle's father) had trouble with his machine. "I'll bet." I tried to stifle a giggle.

"Come along, you should meet him."

"Sounds great." I followed Belle to her house, all the while thinking, _THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!_

...If only my mom were with me. She'd love this, too. I let out a heavy sigh, which Belle noticed. "What's the matter?"

"Just thinking about my mom... I'll bet she'd love to come to a beautiful town like this. ...I miss her."

Belle nodded sadly. "I miss my mother, too. ...She died last year."

I gasped. I noticed that Belle didn't have a mom in the movie, but I never really thought about why. Now I knew. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, she's in a better place now. ...In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she was with your mom now, watching us both."

I smiled at that thought. "Yeah... I bet, if they knew each other, they'd be best friends." Because I knew my mom, and she was always a friend to everyone. And I figured-- since Belle was raised that way-- her mom would be the same.

"I wouldn't doubt it."

* * *

As it seemed, Maurice was nicer in person. "My, my, you are quite a unique girl, aren't you?" he said to me after Belle made the introductions.

I smiled. At least he put it nicely, just as Belle had. "Thank you, though, I'll probably need some new clothes to fit in a little better." I said, chuckling a bit. "You know, just so everyone else doesn't get too anxious. ...And, I don't have anymore clothes on me-- except for the ones on me." We all laughed at the joke, despite how lame it sounded.

"I have some clothes you can use," Belle said. "Follow me."

"While you girls are doing that, I'll get back to work on my invention." Maurice said, nodding to us.

"Okay, call us if you need some help." I replied, then followed Belle upstairs to her room.

It was namely a small room with one bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a large, beautiful antique-looking wardrobe that would make the one in the _Narnia_ movie look pathetic.. She opened the wardrobe, revealing several dresses of different colors.

"You can borrow one of my dresses any time you'd like." Belle said. "I'm always making a new one each day."

I looked at the dresses, awed. "You _made_ all these?" I asked.

"Yes. My mother used to be a seamstress, and she taught me how to make my own dresses... and new outfits for my father whenever his got ruined while he worked."

"Gosh, Belle, they're so beautiful! But..."

"What is it?"

"I'm... not really a 'dress' person. But, you know, if you insist---"

Belle giggled. "Don't worry about it. I can make you an outfit of your own..."

"Belle, you've already invited me to stay in your home, you really don't have to---"

"I insist. Any kind of outfit you'd like, I'll make."

"Fine. But on one condition."

"What's that?"

I held up a beautiful red dress, holding it against myself. "Could you teach me how to sew this good?"

Belle laughed. "Why, of course!"

"Thanks Belle. You're the best!" I didn't mean to sound so cheesy, but I couldn't help it! Belle was so hospitable, I could cry!

* * *

Within that same week, I had learned so much. I built up muscle chopping wood for the fireplace, taking care of the farm animals, and helping Maurice in his shop. I was always sweaty at the end of the day, but I didn't mind. After all, I was earning my stay... and it was great!

Belle had shown me how to sew my own outfits, like she promised. Being a fast learner, I had everything down within a day, and was soon making outfits for myself, which namely included black or brown pants and short-sleeved shirts. I also wore a hat-- the kind with a short bill on the front, like the boys in _Oliver Twist, _and I tucked my hair up inside of it.

What could I say? I liked the old-century tomboy-styles.

One day, Belle and I went into town to the library, when I saw something in the window: a violin. "Wow, I didn't know they had violins here," I whispered to myself as I stared through the window.

"Do you play any musical instruments?" Belle asked, obviously noticing me gawking.

"Oh, um, yes. My mom once signed me up for lessons, and I sort of had a knack for it. I even have one--- well, I _used_ to have one." _Until I was sucked into the Disney universe. _I thought.

"Why don't you buy one, then? I'm sure you're good at it, and I would love to hear you play."

I smiled, sheepishly. "You really would?"

"Of course I would. I---"

"Belle, there you are!" A voice-- a very familiar voice-- said behind us. We turned around and saw... oh brother...

"Hello, Gaston."

"I haven't seen you for a while, not since I left for my last hunting trip-- which, I'll admit, I did mighty well on, right LeFou?" He gave his lacky a hard pat on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"Ho, ho, you got that right, Gaston!" LeFou said, sucking up like he always did. "He shot five grown bucks all in one day!"

"Yes, it does sound masterful killing animals." I said sarcastically. I had to admit, I never really liked it when people hunted animals.

Gaston and LeFou looked at me, quizzically. "Who is this young lad?" Gaston asked, arching an eyebrow. Obviously, he couldn't tell that I was a girl through my outfit (which I was thankful for, knowing how conceded _he_ was).

"This is my friend, Lynn." Belle said.

"Lynn? That's an odd name for a guy." LeFou said.

_So is LeFou, but I'm not saying anything. _I wanted to say, but I held my tongue, especially since LeFou hadn't told me his name yet, so I had to act like I didn't know him.

"For your information, genius, I'm a girl." I said with a sneer.

"If you're a girl, then why aren't you wearing a dress like everyone else?" Gaston asked.

"Maybe because I'm not like everybody else..."

"You know, we're getting off to a bad start." Belle cut in, sensing the tension between us. "Gaston, Lynn is a friend of mine. She's from another town, which is why she dresses differently. I'd appreciate it if you both acted a little nicer toward her."

Gaston smiled wide. "Of course!" he said, leaning closer to Belle. "Anything for _you_, Belle..."

"I'll be 'nicer' too..." LeFou said, standing closer to me and bouncing his eyebrows in a flirty manner.

"Oh, gee, look at the time!" I exclaimed, pretending to look at an invisible watch on my wrist. "We'd better get back home!" I grabbed Belle by the hand and pulled her away quickly.

Gaston and LeFou had been leaning over to far and fell on top of one another. I laughed a little, and Belle and I hurried on. "Are they always like that?" I asked her.

"Just wait until you get to know them better," Belle said, sighing. "I hope that doesn't happen with you."

_Somehow I think it will. _I thought.

* * *

A/N: Well there you go! And here's a little secret: The movie's about to start! (grabs popcorn and soda)

Please review. Flames will be doused out by a firehose.


	4. Chapter 4: It Begins!

(ducks kitchen sink) Hey, what happened to throwing food?! (gets hit in the face with a pie) Oh, sure, throw a cliche! Here! Just read the next chapter and--- WHOA! (ducks toilet) And hold off on the household items! Sha-yeesh!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah blah, blah blah blah blah. (That's 'blah-anese' for "I do not own Beauty and the Beast").

* * *

It had been almost four months since I was sucked into this world, and I had been doing better than I thought. I had made myself my own wardrobe-- wearing a burgundy-red, short-sleeved V-chest shirt, black pants, a deep brown short-billed hat, and a pair of black boots-- and I had become Maurice's main-helper.

And, pardon me for sounding lame, but he had become like a father to me. He made sure Belle and I both were doing fine, and if anything was bothering me, he was always around to listen when Belle wasn't.

When I wasn't helping Maurice or hanging out with Belle, I was in a quiet room alone, practicing some archery. I wasn't a hunter, but I loved the sport. I also took up learning how to fence from a few people I got to know... Though, I had to disguise myself as a guy (which was easy) because, according to the people in town, "women don't need to learn such things".

I'd bet they'd change their minds once they saw the danger in MY world. One day, my hat fell off, and I was almost caught, since my hair had grown a bit, but luckily, several other guys had long hair as well, so I was good. Once I had become good enough, I started training on my own at home.

Why, you ask? ...You'll find out, later.

I was practicing some fencing skills with a short knife up in my-- and Belle's-- room, keeping myself prepared in case I didn't have a sword on me. (Hey, always be prepared, right?). That's when there was a knock at the door.

"Ack!" I yelped, nearly dropping my knife I quickly sheathed it and put it in my pocket. "Er, come in!"

Maurice stepped in, smiling. "Hello, Lynn." he said, then noticed my look of anxiety. "Um, was I interrupting something?"

I quickly shook my head. "N-no, I was just, um... Trying to squish a spider!" ...Could my excuses get any lamer?

"Hm. Must've been a big spider if it got you all jittered up like that."

"You have no idea. ...Um, so what did you need?"

"I need your help down in the shop." I nodded and followed him down to his shop, where a large sheet was covering something. "I've been working all night on my invention, but I'm not sure if it's ready."

He pulled back the sheet, and my jaw suddenly dropped. It was a mechanism that looked like it was designed to chop wood... the same one that was shown in the movie. My heart skipped a beat or two when it only meant one thing.

THE MOVIE HAS STARTED!!!!

"Maurice... It's incredible!" I said, gasping. My heart was suddenly racing.

"Yes, but I think there's still some kinks in it." Maurice said, walking up and pulling a lever. "It runs, but..." The machine began to rumble, the train-whistle attached to it blowing like crazy then... it pooped out, a puff of smoke shooting out of one side of it.

I examined the machine, up and down, then spotted the problem. "The coals inside the furnace are dying out." I pointed to the furnace part of it, where the coals were dimming out. "You need to put more kindling wood in."

Maurice looked in it. "Huh! So that's it, eh? ...Well, that's a relief. I was thinking this hunk of junk wasn't going to work."

I shook my head. "I don't believe that. You're a great inventor! You just have to concentrate on everything your machine includes, especially the energy it needs to run." I patted him on the back. "Other than that, I don't see a problem with it."

Maurice smiled. "Thank you, Lynn." He then turned back to his invention. "I'm glad you're here. I'll need all the help I can get if I'm going to with the Science Fair with this thing."

I shrugged and smiled back. "Ah, you don't need my help. Why, you---"

"Lynn? Papa?" Belle's voice called. She walked through the door, holding a basket with a book in it, wearing a blue dress and white apron (now I was SURE the movie had started). "I'm going into town. ...Would you like to come, Lynn?"

"Well, I'd like to Belle, but..." I turned to Maurice. I didn't want to just leave him to work all on his own, but he smiled and nodded at me.

"You go have some fun, Lynn. I'll just test my machine." Maurice replied. "It should run fine now, now that you've found the problem."

"Thank you, Maurice. We'll be back, soon!" And I walked out the door with Belle.

The morning was gorgeous. The sun was just above the horizon, birds were singing, and the grass was shining with dew. "My mom would really love coming here," I said, even though I had already told Belle that. "It's so peaceful, and beautiful..."

"And so... boring." Belle sighed. "It's always the same thing around here-wake up, run an errand, say hello and goodbye, then go home... People don't really shy away from their daily routines."

I nodded. I came to notice that everyone in town (except Belle and I) didn't really do much. "You have a point." I sighed heavily.

We kept walking, the beauty of the morning surrounding us... and, as we crossed the bridge, it happened.

Belle had began her song.

**"Little town, just a quiet village..." **Belle sang.** "Every day, like the one before."** We walked up to the edge of town. "**Little town, full of little people, waking up to say..."**

**"Bonjour!" **A man called, opening his window shutters and looking out.

**"Bonjour!" **Another man called out, tipping his hat.

**"Bonjour!" **A woman called, waving out a dusty blanket.

**"Bonjour!" **Another man called, locked in a head-and-arm lock on a platform.

**"Bonjour!" **A chimney-sweep called, popping out of a chimney.

It was official. The movie had started. (Yay!)

**"There goes the baker with his tray like always,"** Belle continued to sing, watching as a man with a beard walked by, carrying several loaves of bread. **"The same ol' bread and rolls to sell... Every morning just the same, as the morning that we came to this poor provincial town---"**

"Good morning, Belle! Morning, Lynn!" The man said cheerfully to us.

"Morning, Monsieur." Belle said, curtseying.

"Good morning." I replied, nodding my head.

"Where you girls off today?" The man asked.

"To the pawnshop. I'm thinking about finally buying that violin."

"And you, Belle?"

"The bookshop." Belle replied, eagerly. "I just read this wonderful story, about a beanstalk, and an ogre, and---"

"That's nice." The man turned his attention away from us, setting his bread in the window. "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!"

Belle rolled her eyes, shrugging, and we walked away. "Ah, what would he know about reading a good story, anyway?" I scoffed.

We passed by a couple of elderly ladies, and I don't know whether Belle heard them or not, but I sure could... along with the rest of the people in town.

**"Look there they go, those girls are strange, no question." **the two women sang. **"Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"**

**"Never part of any crowd," **Some other folks sang, though I didn't see who they were. **"'Cause their heads are up on some cloud."**

**"No denying they're some funny girls, Lynn and Belle." **A small crowd of people sang. I rolled my eyes, and Belle and I continued to walk.

A man rode by on a horse-carriage, waving to a woman. **"Bonjour," **he sang.

**"Good day," **the woman sang in reply.

**"How is your family?" **

I looked over and almost laughed, seeing a man at a food stand dreamily looking at a young woman. **"Bonjour," **The woman greeted in song.

**"Good day," **The man sang, admiring the woman... making his wife--obviously older than the other young woman-- very angry and hitting him on the head with a rolling pin.

**"How is your wife?"**

I watched as a woman, her arms filled with three kids, rushed up to a man. **"I need, six eggs!" **she sang, gasping.

**"That's too expensive..." **I heard another man say.

**"There must be more than this provincial life!" **Belle sang, and we arrived at the bookstore.

"I'm going to run over to the pawn shop." I said, pointing over to the store across the street.

"Okay, I'll meet you outside when you're done."

I walked into the pawn shop. It was full of knickknacks and instruments... but the only thing that caught my eye was the red-wood violin on the shelf. The pawnshop owner, a man with a thick gray mustache and round glasses, smiled at me. "Come to gaze at that violin again, eh Lynn?" he asked nicely. I had become a regular visitor of his, and he was the only one in town who didn't mind my presence.

I smiled and held up a small sack of gold coins. "Nope, I've come to buy it." I replied, grinning.

How did I get the money? Well, since we have a farm, we also have chickens, and we sell their eggs on the market, and we split the money. I saved up my share just for this occasion.

The pawnshop owner smiled. "I figured you'd buy it sooner or later." he said with a chuckle as I handed him the coins. He took the violin off the shelf and set it gently in a black case, handing it to me. "I hope to hear you play it someday."

I grinned wider. "I hope you will, too." I replied, then walked toward the door. "Thank you very much! Good day!"

I met Belle just as she was walking out of the bookshop... also noticing three young men who were looking through the window, but took innocent poses as we came by. **"Look there they go, those girls are so peculiar," **they sang, and I sneered. **"I wonder if they're feeling well..."**

**"With a dreamy far-off look," **Some women to the right of me sang. I decided to ignore them and read over Belle's shoulder, pushing up a hanging sign and blocked some water than nearly fell on us, though we both remained oblivious to it.

**"And their noses stuck in a book." **Some men to our left sang.

**"What a couple puzzles to the rest of us, Lynn and Belle," **The crowd sang. We finally decided to stop by a water fountain, where a flock of sheep stood.

**"Oh, isn't this amazing?" **Belle asked in song, showing the sheep (and me) a page in the book. There was nothing there but words, but using my imagination I saw a picture of a boy and a girl in a garden, like the one in the movie. **"It's my favorite part because, you'll see..." **she turned the page. A sheep began to eat part of the page, and I gently shoved it back. **"Here's where she meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three..."**

The sheepherder came by, chasing his sheep off. "Sounds like a good book." I said to Belle. "...Especially since you've already read it."

"Oh, it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells--"

"And a prince in disguise, I know." I chuckled. "You've already told me the story a dozen times."

Our conversation was put on pause as another chorus number broke out. **"They're very different from the rest of us," **A crowd of people sang. **"They're nothing like the rest of us-- Yes, different from the rest of us are Lynn and Belle!"**

Their singing almost drained out the gunshot I heard in the distance, (which meant that Gaston was nearby). "Does everyone always talk about us when they think we're not listening?" I asked myself, but Belle had heard me.

"Yes, but you'll learn to ignore them like I do." Belle replied.

I was surprised. In the movie, Belle always seemed as if she was unaware of everyone talking about her and staring at her, but all this time she knew... and she was just ignoring it! (Note to self, try to use this method in real life).

"Wow, you must have gone through it for a pretty long time if you can ignore it all so well!"

Belle giggled. "Not really. It's not very hard to ignore what people say to- or about- you." she said.

"It is for me. I can't stand it when people say things about me when they think I'm unaware of it."

"They just don't understand us. Don't worry, maybe someday they'll learn to except us for who we are."

"I hope so."

As we continued to walk, I could hear all sorts of conversations all around me:

**"Bonjour!" **A man called.

**"Pardon!" **I heard a voice-- that of Gaston's-- yell, but it was lost in the crowd, easily.

**"Good day!"** Another man said.

**"Mais oui!"** A third man called.

**"You call this bacon?!" **A matron criticized.

**"What lovely grapes!" **A woman complimented

**"Some cheese."** A man ordered.

**"Ten yards."** A woman at a stand ordered.

**"One pound."** A man at another stand ordered.

**"'scuse me!"** I could still hear Gaston, and I was glad the crowd was keeping him back.

**"I'll get the knife."** The cheese merchant said.

**"Please let me through!"**

**"This bread--"** a woman gasped.

**"These fish--"** A man said with a sneer.

**"It's stale!"**

**"They smell!"**

**"Madame's mistaken."** The baker scoffed.

**"There must be more than this provincial life!" **I caught myself singing with Belle.

**"Just watch, I'm going to make Belle my wife!"** I heard Gaston declare in song, and I began walking faster with Belle.

**Look, there they go, some girls who are strange but special," **the ENTIRE town (minus me, Belle, and Gaston) sang altogether. **"A pair o' peculiar mad'moiselles! It's a pitty and a sin, that they don't quite fit in... 'Cause they really are some funny girls-- Some beauties but some funny girls-- They really are some funny girls... Lynn and Belle! (Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!) ...Bonjour!"**

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I turned to the townsfolk. "Do you guys mind?!" I snapped, and they turned and went on with their own businesses. "That's what I thought."

Belle giggled at my action, a bit surprised, and we kept walking---

--until Mr. Vanity leaped out in front of us. "Hello, Belle, Lynn." he said.

"He_lloo_, Lynn." LeFou said, stepping up to me and brushing his hair back suavely. I thought I was going to barf.

"Hello, Gaston." Belle said.

"Hey, LeFou," I said, annoyed. We walked by, but Gaston grabbed Belle's book, while LeFou tried to take my violin case. "Hands off, pipsqueak!" I pulled my case away from him, holding it high above my head.

"Gaston, can I have my book back, please?"

"How can you read this?" Gaston asked, flipping through the pages of the book (holding it wrong all the while). "There's no pictures!"

"Well, that's why come people use their imaginations."

"Which includes using your brain." I said sneering, then added quietly. "Not that you have one..."

"You know, Belle, it's about time you got your head out of those books," Gaston said, tossing the book into the mud. "And paid attention to more important things... Like me." Behind him, I saw three blonde triplets swoon.

I walked over and grabbed Belle's book from the mud, wiping it off with the tail of my shirt and handing it back to her. "Yeah, like we'd rather spend our precious time with a brute and his lackey." I scoffed.

Gaston ignored me. "The whole town's been talking about it. It's just not right for a girl like you to read! Soon she gets ideas, and thinking..." He then turned to me. "And it's undoubtedly unnatural for a girl to dress like a man, and act like she can do things on her own..."

"Gaston, you are positively prime-evil." Belle said, interrupting me before I could make a smart-mouth comment.

"Thanks, Belle." Gaston put his arm around her, guiding her down the street. "What do you say you and I take a walk over to the tavern and have a look at my trophies?"

"While you and I have a walk of our own?" LeFou suggested, staring suavely at me and bouncing his eyebrows as he held my hand.

"Maybe some other time." Belle turned out of Gaston's arm.

I yanked my hand free from LeFou. "And I said hands off, you little stooge!" I scoffed. "Besides, guys, we can't anyway. We have to help Belle's father... Right, Belle?"

"Right." Belle said, then turned to Gaston. "We have to help my father. Goodbye."

"That crazy ol' loon?" LeFou asked, laughing. "He needs all the help he can get!" And he and Gaston burst out in guffaws.

"Don't talk about my father that way!"

"Or else!" I added grimly, glaring daggers at the two men. It was the only remark I could think of at the moment.

"Yeah, don't talk about her father that way!" Gaston snapped at LeFou, bonking him on the head. _Darn, why didn't I do that before? _I thought.

"My father's not crazy." Belle snapped.

"Yeah, he's an actual genius!" I added, proudly.

...Then, as on cue, there was an explosion from our house. We ran worriedly back home, ignoring the laughter from Gaston and LeFou. I really wanted to run back and smack them both with my violin case, but I restrained myself.

After all, I just bought the thing!

* * *

"Papa?" Belle called when we got to the shop, coughing and waving away smoke.

"(Cough, cough) Whoa, who left the oven on?" I asked, jokingly.

Once the smoke cleared away, we saw Maurice trapped in a barrel. It broke, but the rim was still around his waist. "How the heck did THAT happen?" he asked, namely himself. He pulled the barrel rim down off of him... along with his pants. I stifled a laugh when I saw his heart-spotted underwear, and he pulled his pants back up.

I inspected the machine. "Nothing wrong on the surface." I said. "It probably needs some adjusting underneath."

"Hmm, I'll have to check that, then..." though a scowl remained on his face.

"Are you okay, Papa?" Belle asked, concerned.

"Yeah... I'm just about to give up on this hunk of junk!" he kicked the machine, which obviously hurt. "Yeow!" he grabbed his foot and hopped on the other leg.

"You're always saying that."

"Well, I mean it this time! There's no way I can get this bonehead contraption to work!"

"You say that about all your inventions, and they've worked before!" I said.

"Well, there's no way I'm going to get this machine running!"

"Yes you will," Belle said, sweetly placing her hands on her father's shoulders. "And you might win first prize at the fair this afternoon."

"Hmph!"

"And become a world-famous inventor..."

"Not to mention go down in history as the greatest one that's ever lived." I added.

Maurice's scowl turned to a smile, and he arched an eyebrow at us. "You both really believe that?" he asked.

"Haven't we always?" Belle asked.

"That would be an, 'of course'!" I answered.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Maurice boasted with confidence. "C'mon, Lynn! We'll have this thing fixed in no time! Can you hand me that wrench right there?" he slid under the machine.

"Aye, aye, mon capitan." I gave a solute and grabbed an odd-looking wrench out of the tool-box, handing it to him.

"So, did you girls have a good time in town, today?"

"I got a new book." Belle replied. I didn't really classify the book as 'new', since she's read it several times already, but considering she now owned it, I guess she could call it 'new'.

"And I finally got that violin in the pawnshop." I said. I looked at Belle, and I noticed we both were wearing serious expressions on our faces.

"Papa... do you think we're... strange?"

"My daughter and her friend, strange?!" Maurice scoffed, rolling out and wearing some huge-lensed goggles that made his eyes look magnified ten times their normal size. "Why, where'd they get a crazy idea like that from?!"

"Beats me," I said, innocently rolling my eyes.

"I don't really know, either." Belle said. "It's just I'm not sure I fit in here."

"That makes two of us."

"There's no one we can really talk to, except each other."

"What about Gaston? He's a hansom fellow." Maurice asked from under his machine.

"Yeah, and conceded, vain, and down-right smarmy." I scoffed. "And don't even get me STARTED on his little side-kick."

"I agree. Gaston may seem hansom, but his looks don't match his personality." Belle said. "I doubt they'd be right for us."

"Well, no worries, girls, because this invention's going to be the start of a whole new life for us!" Maurice said happily.

"You can say that again," I said, quietly, knowing the double-meaning of Maurice's words.

Maurice climbed out from under the machine. "I think that's done it. ...Care to do the honors, Lynn?"

I smiled and bowed my head. "It would be my pleasure. Let's give it a try!" I pulled the lever and we stood back.

Rather than exploding, the machine worked! The whistle blew, and it began to chop the wood, launching logs over our heads, making us duck.

"It works!" Belle exclaimed.

"It does?" Maurice asked, then ducked a log. "Yes, it does!"

"See? We told you you could do it!" I said.

"Hitch up Philippe, girls! I'm off to the fair-- Oof!" a log hit him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

I turned off the machine and Belle and I grabbed Maurice by the arms, carrying him upstairs. I lied him on the couch as Belle fetched a wet cloth to lie on his head. "I hope he doesn't go into a concussion." I said.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Belle said. "He'll be up and ready for the fair in no time."

I smiled. "Well, in that case, I'll go get Phillippe ready for him." I walked out toward the barn area to get the horse ready for it's trip.

I wish I could warn Belle that Maurice wasn't going to go to the fair that afternoon.

* * *

A/N: And it begins! Reviews are welcome, but keep the flames to yourselves--- AUGH! (ducks a refrigerator) AND THE KITCHEN APPLIANCES!!!


	5. Chapter 5: Hobbies, Proposal and a Song

(doges tractor tire) HEY! WHOA!! Okay, I'm sorry I took so long! Here's the next chapter! Sheesh!

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? (ducks oncoming hammer) Okay! I don't own Beauty and the Beast! There, I said it!

* * *

"Goodbye, Papa!" Belle called to Maurice as he rode off on Phillipe, his invention covered and being towed behind him.

"Win one for the team, Maurice!" I called confidently to him, waving.

We kept waving until he was too far for us to see him, then we went inside. I felt awful- I knew Maurice wouldn't make it to the fair, and I wish I could have warned him, or at least go with him. But, I knew I would just screw up the movie if I did.

"Are you okay?" Belle asked me, noticing my solemn look.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I replied, cracking a smile. "I'm just going to miss him, that's all."

Belle chuckled. "Don't worry, Lynn. We'll see him tomorrow when he gets home."

_Oh, we'll see him all right, but it won't be at home. _I thought, letting out a sigh and sitting down by the well. I picked up a stick and took out my knife, widdle-ing. That's when I heard Belle gasp.

"Lynn, you own a knife?!" Her expression was shocked.

_Nice going, Ms. Discrete! _I scolded myself. "Yeah... but I only use it to widdle sticks. There's nothing else I could use it for. I'm not a hunter, and I wouldn't dare use it on another being, and I'm no good when it comes to dicing vegetables..."

"Well, I know that. It's just... I never thought you carried one, with you. You kind of startled me when you pulled it out."

I sheathed my knife. "Sorry, I didn't mean to." I stood up and we walked into the house together. It seemed so quiet without Maurice around, working on his inventions. Too quiet.

"I'll start fixing dinner." Belle walked over to the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll be upstairs." I climbed upstairs and went into our bedroom. The window was open and I looked out at the small town in the distance, heaving a sigh. It would be only a few hours before we would get away from this place.

A gust of wind blew by, and I shut the window, buttoning up my V-chested shirt a little more. I noticed that the weather had gotten a little colder since this morning, even though it still looked like spring.

I grabbed my bow and arrow and snuck out back. Setting apples on the fence, I started my practice.

* * *

Half an hour later, Belle had caught me. "Archery, too?" She gasped, though she didn't sound as surprised as before. "What other things do you do when no one's looking?"

I smiled, shrugging modestly. "I guess I'm into the sport." I replied. "Don't get me wrong, I would never harm an animal... unless it was by accident... hopefully that won't happen."

The way Belle looked at me, I was afraid she'd get upset at my hobbies. But instead, she smiled back. "I hope that doesn't happen, either. Maybe you should practice out in the field, that way you won't hit any of the hens."

I nodded. "Good idea. ...So, is dinner almost ready?"

Belle giggled. "I just came out to tell you. Yes, it is."

I put away my arrows and bow and followed her inside, happy that she was so understanding about my interests. I felt bad, wishing that I could tell her the real reason why I was practicing, but I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

After dinner, we sat in our room quietly. The wind was howling, which sent shivers down my spine. It was dark out, and I knew Maurice was probably at the castle now, possibly being in the dungeon as we speak...

...While Belle and I were comfortably sitting at home. She was reading her book (as always) while I was sharpening my knife. I sheathed it and put it away, then climbed into bed, lying down on my pillow and staring up at the ceiling...

...Impatiently for tomorrow to arrive. "How's the book?" I asked Belle (even though, since she's read it already, I knew).

"It's pretty good." Belle replied. "I'm on chapter three, now, where she finds out that..."

"The beggar boy is really a prince in disguise." We said together, then laughed.

"I guess I've read this book too much, haven't I?"

"Belle, there's nothing wrong with reading a good book over and over."

She chuckled. "Just like there's nothing wrong with widdling and archery."

"Exactly."

She laughed, then marked the page in her book and put it on her nightstand, then blew out the candle, eliminating the light in our room. "Well, goodnight. Tomorrow's another big day."

_Bigger than you think. _I thought, grinning a little.

* * *

The next day dragged on slowly. I had practiced my archery, sewn five new outfits, and widdled several sticks down to toothpicks...

And it was still morning! I sighed and decided to take care of some of the animals, throwing chicken-feed for the hens, brushing the goats' fur... I even milked a cow to relieve my boredom!

Finally, around noon, I pulled out my violin and began to play the song 'Unchained Melody'. Belle read her book, her head nodding to the rhythm of the song as a smile grew on her face. I couldn't help but smile, too.

"That's a beautiful song," Belle said when I finished. "I've never heard that kind of music before."

"It's a foreign song I learned a while back." I replied. It was pretty true, since- with my being in France- it was foreign to her. "My mom once told me that it was played when she first met my father, and they decided to make it their song."

"How romant---"

*Knock Knock Knock*

Belle and I walked over to the door and she looked out the make-shift 'peep hole' Maurice had invented, and a look of disgust spread on her face. (Gee, I wonder who it could be?)

"Who is it?" I asked in a whisper, though I knew darn-well who it was.

"Take a look for yourself." Belle replied, handing me the telescopic peep-hole... peeper-thing...

I looked through it, seeing the ugly mug of Gaston in a red suit. I groaned. "Man, what is HE doing here?!"

*Knock Knock*

Belle sighed, annoyed-ly. "Well, I'd better let him in."

"Must you?"

She opened the door, but before it was wide enough, Gaston burst in, grinning that cheesy-grin of his. "Hello, Belle." he said to Belle, then shot a short sneer at me. "Hello, Lynn."

"Gaston! What brings you here?" Belle asked, innocently.

"And what's with the fancy suit?" I scoffed.

"I'm glad you asked, Belle." Gaston replied, ignoring my comment. "This is the day..." he paused, looking in a nearby mirror and licking his teeth, making sure nothing was stuck in them (I'm surprised the mirror didn't break). He turned back to Belle. "This is the day all your dreams come true."

I rolled my eyes. "Ha!"

"What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?" Belle asked.

"Besides zilch."

Gaston took a seat at our table. "Lots." he replied, casting a glare at me, then smiling at Belle. "Picture this: A cozy house, my latest kill roasting over the fire, and my little wife massaging my feet," he kicked off his muddy boots and propped his smelly feet on the table... or on Belle's boot, actually. We were both disgusted. "While the little ones play on the floor with the dogs... We'll have six or seven."

"Dogs?" Belle guessed... or hoped, actually.

"No, Belle, children!"

"Psh. Good luck with having kids," I muttered.

"And guess who that perfect woman will be, Belle," Gaston said, ignoring my comment.

"I take it it's not me?" ...Like I would want it to be, anyway.

"Let me think--" Belle said sarcastically, putting away her book (after cleaning it again).

"You, Belle!" Gaston said, cornering Belle, but she scrambled away.

"Yeah, think again, bozo." I said, motioning Belle over to the door as Gaston stomped toward her, determination in his eyes.

"Lynn, don't be like that," Belle said, leaning against the door. "I mean, after all, it's not your question... But, I must say, Gaston--- actually, I don't know what to say!"

"Say you'll marry me." Gaston said, trapping Belle.

"How about 'Beat it, you slimeball' instead?" I suggested, pointing to the doorknob.

Belle saw my gesture and grabbed the doorknob. "Well, it's a wonderful offer, Gaston, but..." she began, twisting the doorknob and pushing the door open. "I don't think I'm the woman for you!" She moved out of the way as Gaston --with a little help from me pushing him-- fell through the doorway and into a mud puddle.

Belle shut the door. I opened it to toss out Gaston's filthy boots. "Of all the nerve!" I said, furiously.

Belle shushed me, pressing her ear against the door. We waited a few seconds, then peeked out. "Is he gone?"

"Coast is clear, Belle."

Belle walked out, furious-- I couldn't blame her. She grabbed a bucket of chicken feed, throwing it down, angrily. "Can you imagine?! He asked me to marry him! Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless---"

"Easy, Belle, watch the language."

That's when Belle started her song. **"Madam Gaston! Can't you just see it?" **She feigned fluttering her eyes and smiling.

I couldn't help it. I grabbed a cloth and folded it over my head as a bonnet and sang the next line. **"Madam, Gaston! His little wife!"**

Belle threw the bucket down, shaking her head. **"No sir! Not me! I guarantee it. I want much more than this provincial life...." **We ran together out in the golden field, where the sun was starting to set. **"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere... I want it more than I can tell!" **We lied down in the grass, and Belle plucked a dandelion, looking at it thoughtfully. **"And for once it might be grand, to have someone- else- understand... I want so much more than they've got planned..."**

I lied on my back, looking up at the sky as she sang, thinking about how I thought the same thing back in my world... I guess Belle and I had more in common than we thought.

Just then, there was a whinny, and Phillippe burst through the woods, running toward us. "Hey! What's Phillippe doing here... without Maurice?!" I gasped, stunned that Phillippe still had the invention, but not the inventor with him... even though I knew the reason.

We ran up to the horse. "Phillippe! Where's Papa?" Belle asked, worriedly. "What happened to him??"

"I don't like the looks of this, Belle."

"Neither do I. C'mon, we've got to go find him!" We unhooked Phillippe from Maurice's invention, then rushed into the woods, starting our adventure.

I was struggling to hold in my eagerness. _This is going to be awesome! _Was the only thing I thought as we took off.

* * *

A/N: And they're off! Up next comes the Beast! Review! ...What is with all the exclamation marks?!!


	6. Chapter 6: Arriving at the Castle

WHOA!! (dives into foxhole as random objects are thrown overhead) Man, everyone wants everything now! Well, here you go! ...Sheesh...

Reviewer Thanks

Beastly Rose: Cue Beast scene! ;)

Disclaimer: I only own Lynn.

* * *

There was one thing I hated more than walking through a dark forest on the way to a frightening castle knowing something was bound to go wrong. Riding a horse there.

Don't get me wrong, I love horses, but I get a bit uneasy when I ride them. They always seem bigger when you're sitting on them, and the ground seems so far below, and I always have a bad feeling that I'll fall off and break my neck.

That's why I climbed off after the first couple of gallops, and decided to walk next to Phillippe as we walked down the trail. "Papa!" Belle called. "Papa, where are you??"

"Maurice! Olly olly oxin-free!" I called out, looking around even though I knew he wasn't out in the woods. "Where is he?"

"Lynn, I'm getting worried, and it's getting dark."

I looked at Phillippe. "Alright, Phillippe, he was with you last. Where'd you take him?"

With a short whinny, Phillippe nodded toward a fork in the road. One path was bright and sunny, and the other was dark and gloomy. "He must have gone down one of these roads... but which one?"

"Since it's Maurice... I'd say the darker one." I turned back to Phillippe. "Is that the path he took?"

Phillippe nodded, understanding everything. (I love that in the Disney animals). We walked down the trail, and every few minutes I heard a rustling sound in the bushes. I felt my back pocket, making sure my knife was there. I knew what was lurking in those bushes, and I didn't want to stop to check my guess.

Phillippe then stopped, whinnying and nodding toward a set of footprints... and paw-prints. "Papa's footprints!" Belle gasped.

"And wolf-prints, too, by the looks of it." I said, grimly. "And it looks like they lead..."

"To that castle," Belle finished, looking onward. "Climb on, Lynn."

I listened to Belle and climbed on Phillippe, hanging on for dear life as we rode quickly toward the castle. Luckily, it wasn't that far a ride... either that, or I kept blacking out every few minutes during the ride.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Belle asked Phillippe once she slowed the horse down to a trot and stopped. Phillippe nodded, nervously.

I quickly climbed off, followed by Belle. "Belle, look! On the ground!" I said, pointing to Maurice's hat.

"Papa's hat! He must be inside." Belle said.

We started toward the castle, but I paused, looking back at Phillippe who stood outside the gates. I grabbed his reigns and pulled him inside the gates, petting his snout. "Stay here, boy. We're gonna need you, later." Phillippe nodded, then I turned and followed Belle inside the castle.

"Papa! Are you here?" Her voice echoed down the corridors.

"Lets split up and see if we can find him. I'll search down here, you search upstairs. I'll meet you up there in ten minutes."

Belle nodded. "Good idea." She climbed the stairs, while I walked down a hall. "Papa!"

"Maurice!" My voice echoed down the hall, making me shiver. "Creepy... Okay, Maurice! Marco!" No reply. _Of course there's no reply, dummy! He's locked up! _I told myself. "Eh, it was worth a shot, anyway..."

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

Chip hopped eagerly toward his mother, Mrs. Potts. "Mama! I saw a girl in the castle!" he exclaimed. "And a boy was with her, too!"

Mrs. Potts turned sharply to her son. "Now, Chip, I don't have time for any wild stories." She said, lifting Chip into the soap filled tub.

"But Mama!"

"Into the tub."

Just then, Fifi the feather duster showed up. "I saw a boy and girl in the castle!" she said.

"See? I told you so." Chip said, spitting out soapy water.

* * *

"Papa?" Lumiere and Cogsworth heard the voice down the hall, interrupting their dispute. They rushed to the door and looked out, seeing a brunette girl in a blue dress and cloak walk down the corridor.

"It's a girl!" Lumiere gasped, happily. "She's come to break the spell!" He began to walk out, but Cogsworth pulled him back.

"Hold on! Someone else is coming!" Cogsworth whispered. They watched as a black-haired 'boy' wearing a hat, black pants, and a red V-chested T-shirt and brown cloak walked up to the girl.

"Any luck?" The black haired boy asked the girl.

"No, I haven't seen _or_ heard him." The girl replied, worriedly. "Oh, Lynn, what if something bad happened to him?"

The boy, Lynn, had a solemn look on his face, cringing a bit. "Don't say that Belle, we'll find him." It sounded as if his words were strained. "But we won't if we stop looking. C'mon."

"They must be looking for the old man." Lumiere said. "Come along, lets help them out."

Together, they followed the boy and girl down the hall.

* * *

**Lynn's POV**

Ever have that feeling you're being followed? Well, try _knowing _you're being followed but for the sake of the plot you had to pretend you didn't know you were. Belle and I turned around every time we heard someone behind us (i.e. Lumiere and Cogsworth).

"Why do I have a feeling we're being followed?" I asked. I couldn't resist.

Before Belle could reply we heard a metallic thumping noise behind us, and we saw a light going up the stairway. "Hey, someone's over there!" I said.

"C'mon," Belle said, running toward the light. "Wait! We're looking for my father!"

"Hey, slow down! Where's the fire?" ...No pun was intended, referring to Lumiere.

We stopped at the top of the stairway, seeing a lone candlestick... and a dungeon.

"Belle? Lynn?" A familiar voice called.

"Papa/Maurice!" Belle and I exclaimed together, spotting Maurice in a cell. We rushed over to him.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

Now, in the movie, seeing Maurice in the dungeon didn't seem all that bad. But now, as you get the full experience, it was worse than it seemed. His skin was pale, the color seemed to be fading from his eyes, and he was indeed positively ill. It was as if the life was being drained out of him with every second he was in that cell. And when we held his hands...

"You're hands are like ice!" Belle said, and she was right. Holding his hands, I felt a chill... Belle had described them perfectly.

Maurice coughed. "Are you okay?" I asked, even though I knew... well, you get it.

"He's ill. C'mon, Papa, we've got to get you out of here..."

"Belle, Lynn! You must leave this place at once!" Maurice said.

"No way, Jose!" I said. "We ain't leaving you to freeze in here!"

"You don't know what you're dealing with!" ...Actually, I did.

"Who's done this to you?!" Belle demanded.

I was looking behind me, and saw a shadowy figure. "Uh, Belle?" I stammered.

All of a sudden, we were grabbed by our shoulders and pulled away from Maurice. "What are you doing here?!" A snarling voice shouted.

"Whoa!" I fell to the ground, Belle kneeling next to me. "Ow."

"Belle! Lynn!" Maurice shouted.

"Alright, what's the big idea?!" I sat up on my knees, adjusting my hat (thankfully, it stayed on). "Who's the wise guy?!"

"Lynn, now's not the best time to be critical... (cough cough)."

"You should not have come here," The figure snarled. I knew I should be scared, but I wasn't. Not yet, at least.

"We've come to get her father," I said. "He can't be in this cell!"

"Can't you see he's sick?" Belle added, scooting closer to Maurice.

"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!" The figure snarled.

"Please, I'll do anything if you free him!"

"Same here, as long as he doesn't have to be locked away." I added.

"There's nothing you can do," The figure said coldly, then began walking away.

"Wait!" Belle and I both exclaimed, leaning into the light. We paused. Belle looked at me, her eyes glimmering (tears?) and she faced the figure again.

"Take me, instead." Belle said, sadly.

"And me too," I added, quickly but boldly.

"You two..." The figure scoffed, then turned to us, curiously. "You two would do that for him?"

"Belle! Lynn! No! You don't know what you're dealing with!" Maurice cried, but we didn't listen.

"If we stayed, would you let him go?" Belle asked.

"Yes, but you would have to be my prisoner. Forever." The figure said.

"Hold on, Belle," I whispered, rethinking everything. "Maurice is right. We don't know who-- or _what_-- we're dealing with."

Belle looked back at the figure, eyeing his shape curiously. "Come into the light," she said.

Hesitantly, the figure stepped into the light. First came a paw-like foot, then a leg, until the entire figure was in the light. Belle's eyes widened in fear, and so did mine... but not just in fear. _This... is... cool! _I found myself thinking. What can I say? I'm a huge Beast-fan.

Belle gasped and turned back to Maurice, grasping his hand, while I just sat there, glancing up at the Beast. "No, girls! I can't let you do this!" Maurice yelled, fearfully.

"We have to, Maurice," I said, turning to him. "You need to get to a doctor."

Belle nodded, then turned to the Beast, standing tall but avoiding eye-contact. "You have my word." she said.

"Mine, too." I said, walking up and placing a hand on Belle's shoulders.

"Then it's a deal." The Beast said, rushing past us and opening the cell. Belle fell to her knees, sobbing, and I knelt beside her, keeping my arm around her.

Maurice came up to us. "Girls, you don't have to do this! I'm old, I've lived my life--- Oh!" he said, until the Beast grabbed him and began pulling him away.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Wait!" Belle cried.

But the Beast had already pulled Maurice away from us, and the last words we heard from Maurice were our names being called.

"He... didn't even let us say goodbye," Belle sobbed, crying on my shoulder.

I rubbed her back to comfort her. "Jerk," I said, glowering in the direction the Beast had gone. I felt Belle's pain as the memory of my mother dying in the hospital flooded into my mind. I never had the chance to say goodbye to her, either...

We heard Maurice shouting from outside, and we looked out the window, watching as the Beast threw him into a carriage, which began to walked off like a spider (that scene always sent shivers down my spine, for some reason).

Belle continued to sob, and I held her. What had we gotten ourselves into? I knew, but Belle didn't, and that only made me feel worse.

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

The Beast bounded up the stairs back to the dungeon. "Um, Master?" Lumiere said to him as he passed.

"What?!" The Beast snapped.

"Since the girl-- and boy-- will be staying with us for some time, perhaps it would be more suitable to... let them stay in a more comfortable room?" The Beast snarled in his face and walked by. "Then again, maybe not!"

He entered the dungeon. The first two things he saw was the brunette girl-- Belle, the man called her-- crying on the shoulder of the boy-- Lynn, he believed was his name. The boy saw him and glowered, then turned his attention back to Belle, comforting her.

"You didn't even let us say goodbye!" Belle sobbed. "I'll never see him again..."

"Yeah, thanks a lot, dude." Lynn said sarcastically, though their was still sadness in his voice... which sounded feminine to him.

"I'll... show you to your room." The Beast said, deciding to take up Lumiere's suggestion, hoping it would make them feel a little better.

"Our room?" Belle repeated, confused.

"Do you want to stay in the dungeon?!" His voice came out more harsh than it should have.

"No,"

"It's a lovely dungeon, but no thanks," Lynn said, critically.

"Then follow me." The Beast said, though he thought about having Lynn stay in the dungeon due to his attitude, but since Belle was so close to him-- it seemed-- he decided to let him come along.

But if he had to listen to one more sarcastic remark, that kid would be sleeping outside, tied to a tree.

* * *

**Lynn's POV**

We followed the Beast down the corridor. Belle and I both looked around at all the strange-- and creepy-- statues. A flash of lightening made on of them look more frightening, and Belle quickly turned away, and we walked closer to the Beast.

I saw a few tears drip down Belle's cheek. I knew she missed her dad, and I knew I did, too. It felt as if I had lost another parent...

"I hope you like it here," The Beast said, interrupting our sad moments (by Lumiere's request, no doubt).

"It's a pretty cool place," I said, looking around and nodding, impressed. I was still feeling down, though.

"Well, you can go anywhere you want-- Except the West Wing."

"What's in the--" Belle began to ask.

"It's forbidden." The Beast's voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Forbidden. Gotcha." I said.

We arrived in our room. "If you need anything, my servants will tend to you."

"Room service. Nice." I sat down on the bed. I noticed Lumiere whisper something to the Beast. About dinner, no doubt.

"You will... join me for dinner. That is not a request!" The Beast snapped to us, then slammed the door shut.

Yep. Definitely the dinner conversation.

Belle ran over and collapsed on the bed, crying her eyes out, and I patted her back to comfort her. "Thanks for _asking_!" I shouted sarcastically at the door.

* * *

A/N: Next up, another musical number! (pops champagne bottle) Woo!


	7. Chapter 7: Attitudes and Be Our Guest

INCOMING!!! (dives into foxhole as flaming arrows hit the ground) Sha-yeesh! You guys are getting touchy! Okay, here's the next chap-- WHOA!! (ducks... *KA-BOOM!*) Alright, who brought the grenades?!?!

_Reviewer Thanks_

Twilight4everTDI2: They'll find out Lynn is a girl soon enough, and yes... Beast tying her to a tree does sound hilarious. (Maybe I should include it! LOL jk)

Beastly Rose: Three words-- Dinner. Is. A-served. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, just Lynn. Everyone got that?

* * *

Belle sobbed for almost an hour, and with every minute I sat by her side, trying to comfort her. "Don't let him get you down, Belle." I told her. "He's just a jerk. He's not worth crying about..."

"It's not that," Belle sighed. "We're prisoners, here. We'll never see Papa again, we've lost our dreams... Oh, Lynn, I'm sorry I got you into this."

"Hey, it's not your fault. I was about to give my freedom five seconds before you did. Besides, being trapped in a castle isn't really THAT bad!" A piece of the ceiling cracked and fell on the floor. "Um, okay, maybe it DOES need some fixer-uppers, but hey, it's still better than living in a boring town, right?"

"(Sigh) I guess..."

"And if you ask me, that beast seems a lot more charming than Gaston." I chuckled and Belle giggled. "Ha! Made you laugh!"

Belle's smile faded, and she sighed heavily. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Lynn... but I don't think it'll work this time." She sank down on the floor and rested her face on her arm on the bed, sobbing lightly. "I want to go home..."

I sighed, too. "Yeah... It may have been boring, but at least it was more comforting than being in a castle... which seems a lot more boring! ...Sheesh, when do you suppose we'll get room service?"

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

Man, I sure called THAT one. "Who is it?" I asked.

"Mrs. Potts, dear." Mrs. Potts replied.

"Come in," Belle said, wiping away a tear.

I opened the door, and Mrs. Potts, Chip, a sugar bowl, and spoon came in, along with an unexpected extra teacup. Belle was astounded. My heart was racing-- I was meeting all my favorite characters every minute!

"We thought you both would like a soothing cup of tea." Mrs. Potts said.

"Told you she was pretty Mama, didn't I?" Chip whispered.

"But you're a---" Belle gasped, backing into the wardrobe... which was also alive.

"Whoops! Careful!" The wardrobe chuckled.

"Dang, all the furniture talks around here!" I said, pretending to be amazed. Then I looked at the bed I sat on, having a though (was it alive, too?) With that theory, I quickly stood up.

"Here you go, love," Mrs. Potts said, pouring tea into Chip and the other teacup. The spoon scooped sugar into them.

"Thank you," Belle said, picking up Chip.

"Yes, thanks." I said, picking up the extra teacup. I sipped the tea, despite the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of it-- unless it was loaded with sugar, but I didn't want to seem pushy and ask for more.

"Wanna see me do a trick?" Chip asked. Sucking in his breath and holding it in, he made Belle's tea bubble.

"I can do it, too!" The other teacup piped up, doing the same trick.

"Chip! Michael!" Mrs. Potts scolded.

"Heh heh, sorry." Chip said, giving a weak smile.

"It's okay. I thought it was a pretty neat trick," I said, setting the teacup Michael down. "It's pretty much the only entertaining thing I've seen since we've got here... and got ourselves trapped here for life..."

"It was a very brave thing you both did for your father," Mrs. Potts said, sympathetically.

"We all think so." The wardrobe added.

"But, we've lost everything," Belle said. "Our family, our home, our dreams..."

"Not to mention Phillippe is stuck in parking and the meter is almost up," I said. Everyone looked at me, not getting the joke. "Um, it's a joke I learned a long time ago. ...Ah, who am I kidding? This isn't the time for jokes anyway, is it? Belle's right... we've lost everything."

"There, there, love." Mrs. Potts said, soothingly. "It'll all turn out alright in the end. You'll see."

_Boy, you've got that right. _I thought, smiling. "Thank you,"

"You're welcome, dear. ...Oh, look at me, jabbering about while there's a supper to be put on the table! Come along, Chip. You too, Michael." And they left, leaving Belle, the wardrobe, and I alone in the bedroom.

"Alright, lets get you two ready for dinner," The wardrobe said. "Lets see, what do I have in my drawers?" She opened the doors on her, and moths flew out, and I swatted one away. She shut her doors, blushing. "Oh! How embarrassing!" She opened her doors again and pulled out a black tuxedo and a green dress. "Ah, how about these?"

"Um, I hate to bust your bubble, but... I'm not into the 'formal' wear." I said.

"And... I'm not going to dinner." Belle said.

"Oh, but you must!" The wardrobe gasped.

"Yeah? Says who---" I began to protest, until there was a knock at the door and Cogsworth walked in.

"(ahem) Dinner, is served." He said courtly, bowing then smiling up at us.

"Ooh, how should I put this gently?" I pretended to think. "Um... Belle and I refuse to dine with that jerk."

Cogsworth's jaw dropped. "W-w-w-what??"

"Um, what my friend means is... We don't really feel like eating right now..." Belle said.

"Especially with someone who took away our freedom." I scoffed. "Just tell your 'master' that we're still trying to overcome the fact that we're stuck here, and we don't feel like having dinner."

"But-- he-- I---" Cogsworth stammered. I felt sorry for him, how nervous he looked about the thought of having to tell the Beast the bad news. "(Sigh) Very well... *gulp*" And he left the room.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Belle asked. "He seemed a little scared... Of course, I don't really blame him. Maybe we should go down to dinner."

"Nah, if that jerk wants us to come to dinner, he can ask us himself." I said, sneering. "I'd still say no, but hey, he probably wouldn't 'ask' us anyway."

Belle looked at me, then sighed angrily. "Oh, you're right. ...You think he'll get mad, though?"

I held up my five fingers, counting them down. "Lets see. Five... four... three... two... one..."

* * *

**3rd Person POV**

_During that time..._

The Beast paced the floor, impatiently. "Where are they? They're supposed to be here!" he muttered, angrily, then turned to Mrs. Potts and Lumiere. "What's taking so long?!"

"Master, you must understand. The young lady and young man have lost their father and freedom all in one day." Mrs. Potts said.

"Um, Master? Have you considered the fact that the young lady might be the one who could break the spell?" Lumiere asked, gently.

"Of COURSE I have!" The Beast snapped. "Oh, what would it matter, anyway? She's so beautiful, and I'm so... Well look at me! Besides, she's already got a man with her, and they're probably in love already. How am I supposed to compete with THAT?!"

The servants hadn't considered that, but they weren't about to give up hope. Mrs. Potts approached the Beast sternly. "Well, you can start by being more of a gentleman." she said, firmly. "Straighten up that posture!"

"Ah, yes, but also appeal to her affection-- let that other boy know he's not the hansom one!" Lumiere said. "Give her a dashing smile! ...Come, come, show me the smile!"

The Beast smiled, showing his sharp fangs. "But don't scare them." Mrs. Potts said.

"Put on the charm!"

"But be sincere,"

The Beast looked left and right at the servants as they gave him advice, and he was starting to grow angry.

"But most importantly..."

"You MUST CONTROL YOUR TEMPER," Mrs. Potts and Lumiere said, firmly.

The doors opened. "They're here!" Mrs. Potts gasped, and the Beast looked up, eagerly. His excitement faded when he saw it was only Cogsworth.

"Oh! Uh, hello." Cogsworth said, nervously.

"Well? Where ARE they?" The Beast asked through clenched teeth.

"They? Oh! Uh-- Uh... Well you see they... Um, the boy said... The girl she... Er, circumstances being what they are... (Sigh) They're not coming."

* * *

**Lynn's POV**

I swear, you could hear the Beast from space. "_**WHAT?!**_" we heard him yell at the top of his lungs. Next thing you know, we're hearing thundering footsteps and pounding on the door. "Come down to dinner!!"

"No way!" I hollered.

"We're not hungry!" Belle yelled.

"You come down or I'll-- I'll break down the door!!" The Beast yelled.

"How charming." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"I hear whispering." Belle said to me. "What do you think is going on out there?"

"Maybe his servants are trying to coax him into a straight-jacket."

"Will you two come down to dinner.... please?" We heard the Beast ask, calmly.

"No thank you," Belle replied, sternly.

"Nope," I said.

"It would give me great... pleasure if you joined me for dinner," The Beast tried again, this time his voice sounded strained (I tried not to laugh).

"I'm not coming." Belle said, firmly crossing her arms.

"Ditto." I said, doing the same action.

"You can't stay in there forever!!" The Beast yelled.

"Watch us!" Belle and I snapped at the same time... Either we're starting to think alike, or I have perfect timing on this movie.

"Fine! Then you both can go ahead and _starve_!"

We listened as he bounded down the hall, pieces of ceiling falling on the floor from the tremors he caused. "I think that went well, do you?" I asked, sarcastically.

"Of all the nerve, trying to _force_ us to come to dinner!" Belle fumed (and I mean _fumed!_ I seriously saw smoke coming out of her ears!) "Beast or not, he had no right to speak to us that way!"

"You tell it, sister!"

"Now, come on, you two. Don't get so furious," The wardrobe said, sitting down next to us. "The master isn't that bad if you both get to know him."

"I don't want to get to know him! I don't want anything to do with him." Belle said, her voice close to a sob.

"That goes double for me," I scoffed. I didn't really mean it, but since I knew the Beast was probably watching us through the mirror, I had to put on an act for the sake of the plot. "He should know better than to treat us that way. ...Especially YOU Belle."

"Me? What about you?"

"I'm... used to being yelled at. You, however, don't need to go through that crap."

"Used to it? What do you mean, Lynn?"

I heaved a great sigh. "I was put into an orphanage when my mom died, and the people who ran it were really strict, and if someone didn't do exactly-- and I mean EXACTLY-- what they said, they would snap at them. ...And, I wasn't a very good listener, so I got yelled at a lot, and locked in my room if I talked back."

"That's awful!" The wardrobe gasped.

"Yeah, well, at least they weren't the type of people who would hit you. ...Though, after they said the harsh things they did, and with the tones they used... I wished they did."

"Why? What did they say to you?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing, now. I'm far away from that place, and I don't plan on going back. Ever."

Okay, so I guess I left out a little bit of my childhood, but I didn't want to have to retell it... until Belle asked. Don't ask me why, but I felt comfortable telling her all this, though I didn't feel like telling her the whole story.

"Well, I doubt you'll be going back to that orphanage... or anywhere at all, ever again." Belle said sadly, then put a hand on my shoulder. "But, at least we've got each other." she looked at the wardrobe. "And the rest of you are so nice to us."

"Yeah, it's a shame you have to work with that dictatived brute." I said.

The wardrobe made a shrugging motion. "Ah, we've been going through it for ten years. We're used to it." she said, 'walking' back over to the wall where she stood.

Ten years... Wow. But, wouldn't that mean the Beast was 11 when--- Eh, never mind. "Sheesh, that's a long time."

"So, what should we do, now?" Belle asked.

I shrugged, lying back on the bed (forgetting about my thought of it being alive). "I don't know..." Belle sat down at the end, heaving a heavy sigh. Boredom, no doubt, had struck us.

I looked out the window. Snow was falling, and I knew somewhere Gaston and his lackies had finished their music number a long time ago, and I was getting to be concerned about Phillippe being out in the cold.

I looked up at the ceiling, at all the little cracks, and I decided to make a game and try to see if they made a picture. I stared at the cracks for Lord knows how long, my eyelids getting a little heavy...

Just then there was a low, gurgling-rumble, and I looked at Belle. "Sorry. I guess I'm just hungry." She said, smiling weakly.

"Oh, really, Miss 'I'm not hungry'?" The wardrobe joked, chuckling.

"C'mon, we can go see if there's something in the kitchen." I said, heading toward the doors.

"Wait---"

"Don't worry, we'll be right back." Belle said as we walked out of the room.

Too bad she didn't know we wouldn't be back in our room for a while.

* * *

There was one thing I wish the castle had: an itinerary. It took us forever to find the kitchen! We went down one hallway-- the foyer. We went down another hallway-- another hallway. Lets just say, we searched the whole ground floor. I swear, we passed the same shredded portrait 12 times!

"Oh, lets face it, Belle," I groaned. "We'll never find the kitchen! This place is HUGE!! We won't find a thing to eat in a million---"

"Lynn?" Belle said.

"What?" Belle pointed ahead, showing the dining room, and the kitchen doors right across the room. "Oh... Never mind."

We quietly snuck over to the kitchen, and we overheard voices. I wanted to stay and eavesdrop (though I knew what they were saying) but Belle just walked right in, so I followed and forgot about spying on the conversation.

"Splendid to see you out and about!" Cogsworth said, over-enthusiastically, interrupting something Lumiere was saying.

"Glad to be out and about." I said, chuckling.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cogsworth---" Right then, Lumiere rushed right in front of Cogsworth as Belle and I knelt down. "And... this is Lumiere."

"It is a pleasure to meet such a fine mademoiselle," Lumiere said, pecking a kiss on Belle's hand, then turned and bowed toward me. "And a hansom young man."

"The pleasure is all mine." Belle said, smiling.

"You're not so bad-looking yourself, Lumiere." I said. "I'm Lynn, and this is my sister, Belle." Belle looked at me, quizzically. I shrugged. "Well, I consider you one, at least." She smiled at this.

"Same to you,"

"Oh! You are siblings!" Lumiere seemed too happy about that statement, as he turned to the servants, smiling. "Did you hear that, everyone? They are related!" With the happy looks on their faces, I didn't have the heart to tell the servants we weren't, and looking at Belle, I saw that she had the same feeling.

"Well, what can we do for the two of you?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"We're kind of hungry..." I said, shrugging.

"You hear that? They're hungry! Light up the fire! Get out the dishes!"

"Hold it! Remember what the master said---" Cogs worth began to protest.

"Oh, tish tosh. I'm not going to let the poor dears go hungry!"

"Fine, fine, they can eat. Crust of bread, glass of water, and that's it."

"I'd rethink that menu if I were you," I scoffed.

"Cogsworth, I'm surprised at you!" Lumiere scolded. "These two are not our prisoners! They're our guests!"

"Well, at least _someone_ has some better manners,"

"Right this way, I shall show you to your seats."

"Just try to keep it down!" I heard Cogsworth hissed at Lumiere.

"Oh, we will. But what is dinner without a little music?" With that, Lumiere let go of the swinging door and it smacked into Cogsworth, sending him flying backwards.

"MUSIC?!" Was the last thing I heard from inside the kitchen from Cogsworth.

Belle and I stood at the table, and at this point, I was about to explode with excitement. My favorite music number was coming up! Thankfully, I didn't squeal with delight when the spotlight shown on Lumiere.

"Monsieurs and Mademoiselles, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight," Lumiere said, as a candle topper and small cane was tossed to him. "And now, we ask you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... Your dinner."

Two chairs had arrived behind us and we sat down, and I bit down on my lower lip to contain my fan-ly shrieks of delight as Lumiere began the song.

**"Be. Our. Guests, be our guests. Put our service to the test! Tie your napkin 'round your necks, sir and cherie, and we provide the rest." **The chairs held up some napkins for us to tie around our necks, but Belle put hers on her lap while I just set mine on the table, and a parade of food came toward us. **"Soup du jour, hot hors d'oeuvres. Why, we only live to serve! Try the gray stuff, it's delicious." **He held a platter up to us. Belle tasted the 'gray stuff', while I stuffed a couple hors d'oeuvres in my mouth. Delicious! **"Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! They can sing, they can dance! After all, this is France!" **The dishes swirled around the table in a dancing motion, making a formation of the Eifel Tower. **"And the dinner here is never second best!" **Then we were handed menus (I couldn't read mine because it was in french) **"Go on, unfold your menu. Take a glance and then you'll be our guests-- oui, our guests! Be our guests!"**

More food came parading out, and the chorus sang along. **"Beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding 'en flambe'!" **They sang. Cogsworth popped out of the pie, and Lumiere just so happened to set it 'en flambe'. I stifled a laugh-- I loved that part! Though, I felt a little sorry for him, so I pulled him out and handed him my napkin to wipe off with.

**"We'll prepare and serve with flair a culinary cabaret! You're both alone, and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared! No one's gloomy or complaining while the flatware's entertaining!"**

And boy, was it entertaining! Watching all the dishes perform, I almost forgot there was food in front of us! (But I still grabbed something from each platter that passed by-- hey, I was hungry!)

**"We tell jokes! I do tricks, with my fellow candlesticks!"**

Just then, we were surrounded by mugs of beer (those, I didn't touch). **"And it's all in perfect taste, that you can bet!" **they sang, then went and started catapulting each other across the table. Cogsworth was finishing wiping gook off his face, and gasped when he saw everything, and ran around shushing everyone. I rolled my eyes.

**"Come on and life your glass, you've won your own free pass, to be our guests..." **The chorus continued.

**"If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest." **Lumiere sang.

**"Be our guests! Be our guests! Be our guests!"**

Just then, there was a single spotlight, shining on Cogsworth as he tried to pull a mug away. His expression turned to shock and the mug got away, and he stood there nervously, beginning to walk off... until Lumiere grabbed him. **"Life is so unnerving, for a servant who's not serving. He's not whole without a soul to wait upon." **Suddenly, snow-- no wait, salt-- began falling from above from two salt shakers. Cogsworth rolled his eyes and let out a short moan. **"Ah, those good ol' days, when we were useful... Suddenly, those good ol' days are gone. Ten years, we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting," **Cogsworth began walking away, but Lumiere held on to his ankles, dramatically. **"Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!" **Suddenly, Cogsworth broke loose... and went flying head-first into a jello mold (which I was about to dip my spoon into, now suddenly didn't feel like doing so). **"Most days, we just lay around the castle. Flabby, fat and lazy... You two walked in and whoopsie-daisy!" **Lumiere jumped on the spoon and sent Cogsworth flying overhead.

I ducked when the pendulum clock shot over my head, and I cringed when I heard a...

*CRASH!*

"Gosh, I hope that vase wasn't too expensive." I said, looking over my chair. ...Hopefully, it wasn't a servant either. We then heard singing from inside the kitchen-- Mrs. Potts, no doubt-- and though it sounded distant, I could still make out the lyrics (Thank you, Disney fan-skills!)

**"It's two guests! It's two guests! Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!" **Mrs. Potts could be heard, singing. **"Wine's been poured and thank the Lord I've had the napkins freshly pressed. With dessert, they'll want tea. And my dears, that's fine with me. While the cups do their soft-shoein', I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing!"**

She began to sound faint, probably because she was going further back in the kitchen. "Are you going to eat that?" I asked Belle, while she was paying more attention to the performance than to the roast chicken in front of her. I tore off a drumstick and ate it when she didn't respond, and then I heard Mrs. Potts singing again.

**"We've got a lot to do!" **And she rode up on the cart in front of us. **"Is that one lump or two? For you, our guests..."**

**"Be our guests!" **The chorus of servants sang.

**"They're our guests!"**

**"Be our guests! ...Be our guests, be our guests, our command is your request! It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed! With your meal, with your ease, yes indeed we aim to please." **Then several candle lights were lined up, bowing then quickly lifting their heads one by one. **"With the candlelights still glowing, let us help you we'll keep going..."**

Lumiere stood at the end, ready to finish the number. **"Course... by... course!" **he sang, doing a jazzy dance. **"One by one, 'til you shout..."**

**"Enough, I'm done!"**

**"Then we'll sing you both off to sleep as you digest!" **Belle and I looked up at the chandelier, and all the silverware dancing on it. It was a LOT more spectacular than it looked in the movie, and the food almost fell out of my mouth when my jaw dropped.

**"Tonight you'll prop your feet up, but for now let's eat up!" **They all sang and danced together, even Cogsworth began to loosen up and take place in the fun. **"Be our guests! Be our guests! Be our guests! Please... Be... Our... Gueeeeeeeeeeeeest!!"**

Champagne exploded everywhere in a cannon-style as they all concluded the dance number. Cogsworth was dancing like crazy... until Lumiere shoved him out of the way, posing one final pose.

"What do you think they'd do if I shouted, 'encore!'?" I whispered to Belle, and she giggled at my joke.

* * *

A/N: Man, I feel so envious of Lynn right now... You'll never find a dinner and a show like THAT in a million years! Please re--- Ack! (ducks missile... KABOOM!) Alright, enough with the explosives, already!


	8. Chapter 8: A Run Through the Woods

Mob: Give us one reason why we shouldn't hang you!

Me: Um... I made a new chapter??

Mob: Okay. Good enough.

Disclaimer: I only own Lynn. Otherwise, if I owned the movie's copyrights, I'd have the Beast, and my enemies would be vanquished. (sigh)

* * *

"That was wonderful!" Belle exclaimed, applauding once the musical number had ended.

"Yeah, it's not every day you get both dinner AND a show." I added.

"Thank you. Yes, it was a lovely performance-- nice job, everyone!" Cogsworth said, complimenting the dishes that cleared the area, then he looked at his face. "Oh, look at the time! Now, it's off to bed, off to bed!"

"Oh, we couldn't possibly sleep now!" Belle said.

"Yeah. I don't sleep after I eat, anyway." I said, then Belle and I looked at each other, grinning. We both thought the same thing-- explore first, sleep later.

"Plus, it's our first time in an enchanted castle,"

"Enchanted??" Cogsworth feigned surprise, putting on another cheesy grin. "Why, whoever said anything about the castle being enchanted?" Right as he said that, a little fork ran by.

"Besides the obvious?" I whispered to Belle, who stifled a giggle.

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Cogsworth hissed at Lumiere, and the two began to get into a scuffle.

"We pretty much figured it out for ourselves," Belle said.

"Yeah, it's not THAT hard to figure out," I added. "Unless EVERY castle has talking-- and singing-- furniture."

Cogsworth and Lumiere stopped fighting, feeling completely embarrassed-- and stupid. I chuckled a bit. "Ah, well then, perhaps you would like a look around?" Lumiere suggested.

"Ah, I don't think that's such a good idea," Cogsworth said to Lumiere. "Remember, there are certain places they're not allowed to be..."

"Maybe you'd like to give us a tour, since you know such places?" I said, kindly.

"Yes, I'm sure you know everything there is to know about the castle." Belle added sweetly.

Cogsworth chuckled, modestly. "Oh, well, I don't really... I guess I do." he said.

Belle and I were such good teases when it came down to having someone do something for us, and Cogsworth and Lumiere guided us out of the kitchen, giving us a tour...

...Which was a LOT longer than it seemed in the movie. I had to stifle several yawns as Cogsworth gave the tour of all the Renaissance-Medieval-Whatever artwork around the kingdom. If it wasn't for the footstool-dog joining us for the tour and keeping me entertained by running around me, I would've died of boredom.

We entered a hallway lined with suits of armor. _This is it... _I began to think, but Cogsworth's line about the baroque period was so close to putting me to sleep, I had to focus on staying awake more than anything else. Luckily, noticing the suits of armor's helmets turning in our direction woke me up quite a bit.

"...And, as I like to say, 'if it's not baroque, don't fix it'," Cogsworth said with a chuckle.

"Ha, ha." I said sarcastically. "So, are those suits of armor on 'knight watch' or have their heads always been like that?"

Cogsworth turned around, facing the suits of armor. "As you were!" and they snapped back to attention. "Now where were-- Gah!"

Looking over, we saw Belle near the stairs and ran over to her. Lumiere and Cogsworth intercepted her path, grinning those innocent, cheesy grins. "Hey, where does this stairway lead?"

"Oh, nowhere, nowhere." Lumiere said.

"Right..." Belle and I began walking up, but Cogsworth and Lumiere stepped in front of us again.

"Oh, no need to go up there!" Cogsworth said.

"Yeah? Why not?"

"For your information, no one is allowed up in the West Wing, my good sir."

"Ah, so THAT'S the West Wing!" Belle said, slyly.

"Nice going." Lumiere scolded Cogsworth.

"I wonder what he's keeping up there..."

"Lets check it out---" I began, before Lumiere and Cogsworth once again cut in front of us.

"Oh, there's nothing to see up there!" Cogsworth said.

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." Belle said.

"Good point," I agreed, and we walked past Lumiere and Cogsworth, but they ONCE AGAIN rushed in front of us.

"Wait, there's more interesting things to see!" Lumiere said, trying to persuade us. "Like, say, the gardens, the library..."

"You have a garden??"

"You have a library??" Belle said, awed. Obviously, they had piqued both of our interests.

"Oh, yes! The gardens are FULL of lovely flowers here and there," Cogsworth said, going along with it.

"And the library is just overflowing with piles of books!" Lumiere exclaimed.

"Mountains of books!"

"And trellises are everywhere in the gardens..." Arm around each other all buddy-buddy like (for once) Lumiere and Cogsworth strolled down the corridor, bragging about the garden and library, followed by an excited, barking footstool.

Belle and I, however, had a different plans. "We can always see those things tomorrow." I whispered. "Besides, the garden probably isn't much at night, anyway."

Belle looked up the stairway. "Shall we?" she asked.

"Oh, we shall." And we climbed up the stairs into a dark hallway.

You know how you're watching a cartoon, and a scary scene comes up and you're thinking, "Pfft, it's not THAT scary."? Well, let me tell you something: It's a WHOLE LOT different once you experience it, yourself. It was creepier than it seemed... and a much more creepier experience from my point of view.

We passed a few torn portraits, and a broken mirror. Some curtains were ripped, and some furniture was knocked over (goodness, I hope none of it was a servant). As a little kid, I was a little-- okay, a lot-- creeped out by this scene, and the only thing that ran through my head was: _I guess this is they got the idea for "The Haunted Mansion." _...Sometimes it was hard for me to keep a serious thought, in even the most chilling situations.

"Lynn, look!" Belle whispered, pointing at two large, ominous doors with grotesque, horrifying doorknobs that sent us one message: Stay away, turn away, and go away.

I wish I had some knobs like that for my door. "He must have quite the decorator." I remarked, quietly.

Belle reached for one of the knobs, then looked at me. "Should we?"

I thought about it. I always hated this scene, and always wondered what it would be like to just skip it, to have Belle turn around... but I would hate myself if I did, and Walt Disney would flip out in his grave.

"Lets go for it," I said, grabbing on to the knob with Belle. "This will probably be the last chance we'll get, anyway."

Together, we pulled open the door, and looked into the room, and gasped. It was a disaster area. The bed was torn to shreds (which probably wasn't very comfortable for sleep), chunks of wood from furniture was scattered everywhere, bigger chunks of ceiling had fallen everywhere... lets just say it would make my room look clean.

Belle walked over to an old portrait that was torn to shreds, only leaving the eyes of the person in it untouched. Meanwhile, my eyes were darting left and right, cautious-- where was the Beast? I began to grow nervous, I hated this scene so much...

Then a glow caught my attention, and Belle's as well I noticed. We both looked over, noticing a pink, illuminating rose, covered by a little, tall glass dome. In the movie, it was just beautiful... but in my perspective, it was stunning! The first thing that came to my mind was my mother, and I wished she could see it, too-- her favorite kind of flower, only a thousand times more gorgeous.

Belle lifted up the glass dome, and we both reached to touch it. I was astounded by its beauty, every time I looked at it the memory of my mom would flood back to me. I was so close to touching it... I could feel it's warmth of luminance half an inch away...

Then Belle gasped, and I looked forward, all the happiness drained away. Standing before us, giving us a major death-glare, was the Beast. He rushed over to us, quickly placing the glass dome back over the rose, then turning to us angrily, a growl erupting low in his throat.

"Oh, crap..." I whimpered, backing away.

"What are you doing here?!" The Beast snapped at us.

"W-we--- I---" Belle stammered.

"Um..." Was all I could get out.

"Do you realize _what you could have done_?!" The Beast snapped again, his voice becoming harsher with each word.

"No-- Sorry---"

"Get out!!"

"Please, we---" Belle gasped. I pulled her out of the way as the Beast through a chair--- or what remained of it.

"GET OUT!!!"

This time, we listened, and bolted out of the room. I always cringed when I watched this scene in the movie, a bit scared. But now, I was completely frightened, and I was running like heck. The memory of all the people at the orphanage screaming at me flooded into my memory, and tears began to roll down my cheeks.

We sped down the stairs past Cogsworth and Lumiere, Belle grabbed our cloaks from the table and tossed me mine and we rushed toward the door.

"Wait! Where are you going??" Lumiere called, frantically.

"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute!" Belle cried.

"Same here! Call us when your master gets anger management!" I yelled, and with that we were out the door.

Phillippe was waiting for us, and I quickly untied him and we both jumped--- and I mean literately _jumped_--- onto his back and ran as far away from the castle as possible. It had begun to snow hard, the wind howling and it was hard to see the path---

Then all hell broke loose. As we ran through the woods, I heard more growling, and the wolves burst out from behind the trees and began chasing us. We kept running, the wolves hot in pursuit.

Then the worst thing happened. One wolf jumped right out in front of us, frightening Phillippe and making him stand up on his hind legs, nearly throwing Belle and I both off... but since Belle had hold of the reigns and I sat in the back, I fell off into the snow, and Phillippe took off, pursued by some of the wolves... while three others circled around me.

"Belle!" I screamed frantically. "Come back!" But through the howling wind, she couldn't hear me, and even if she could, I doubt she would be able to turn around with all those wolves behind her.

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my knife, warning the wolves to stay back. I would never kill an animal, but if I had to, I would, and these wolves were asking for it. They all snapped at me, and I swung my knife, cutting one on the leg but not wounding it enough. One wolf jumped on my back, knocking me on the ground and my shoulder-length black hair fell through the front of my hat and blew in the wind and into my face, covering my eyes. I searched for my knife, but it had fallen somewhere deep in the snow.

Blindly, I turned on my side and punched the wolf in the jaw, but the other two were upon me, pinning me down. I could feel the breath of one on my face, and I kicked and thrashed, but they held me down and one bit my shoulder, making me scream with pain.

_This is it... _I thought, fearfully. _I'm going to die being killed by wolves in my favorite movie! Oh, the irony! _Then there was the roar, and the wolves stopped. I heard one of them yelp and felt it being pulled off me. I opened my eyes, brushing the hair out of my face, and saw something that sent my heart racing: the Beast, standing over me, swatting the three wolves away. _That's it, I'm dreaming!_

The three wolves ran off, obviously sensing there wasn't enough of them to take down the Beast. "Belle's in trouble," I said quickly, finding my knife in the snow. "The rest of the wolves are after her!"

"Which way did they go?" The Beast asked.

"This way!" I began running down the path covered with hoof and paw prints. The Beast ran past me, obviously faster than I was. "Hey, wait up!" He didn't listen and kept running, making me have to sprint to keep up with him.

Then he stopped, reaching the icy river. I stopped just a couple feet from behind him, hunched over to catch my breath. "Thanks for waiting," I huffed, sarcastically. But my witty remarks were put on hold when I saw Belle and Phillippe climbing out of the river, followed by the other wolves. "Crap, we've got to get to them!" I began running toward the water, but the Beast grabbed me by the shoulder.

"Not that way," the Beast said, a bit forcefully. "I know a safer way across. Get on my back."

"Get on your... what now?" ...This, obviously, was something I definitely didn't expect to hear from him. At all.

"Do you want to save your friend?!"

"Yeah--- whoa!" he grabbed me by the back of the shirt and pulled me on his back.

"Then hang on." I had no choice but to listen as he bounded down the river, coming across a fallen tree that laid across it, which we ran across, of course.

Then it was back into the woods, following the tracks left behind by Phillippe and the wolves. "Augh!" we heard Belle scream, and arrived at the scene, seeing wolves surrounding her and Phillippe (whose reigns were caught in a branch, trapping him)

I jumped down off the Beasts back, just as he ran toward a wolf who lunged at Belle, catching it by the throat and roaring in its face. He stood over Belle, and began fighting off wolves.

And I joined in, running up and slashing my knife at the wolves that were about to attack. I heard the beast roar again, and saw that a wolf had bitten his arm, and the rest were jumping onto him. I quickly ran over. "Back off, you mangy mutts!" I yelled, jumping up and wrapping my arms around the neck of one of the wolves, pulling it off of the Beast and cutting the side of its face with my knife.

A couple other wolves ran toward me, but I kicked one of them in the face and swung my knife at the other, nicking its snout. I was getting better at my fighting skills! The one I kicked was about to lunge, but then it saw that the rest of the pack was running back into the woods, so it joined them. The fight was over.

"Yeah, and don't come back!" I shouted at the wolves. "I was just getting warmed up!" Then I turned to Belle to see if she was okay, but I noticed her gazing at something else. I looked over and saw the Beast standing there, looking as if he was about to---

---scratch that. He passed out. I guess fighting so many wolves and saving a couple girls can take a lot out of you.

Belle freed Phillippe and was about to climb on, but she paused and looked back at the Beast. "You're not just going to leave him out here, are you?" I asked her. "After all, he did save our lives."

"Actually, I was wondering what you would think if I decided to take him back to the castle." Belle said.

Well, I felt stupid right then. "Oh. ...Well, what are you waiting for?" I grabbed one of the Beast's arms. "Help me get him on the horse!"

Belle came over and put her cloak over the Beast to keep him warm, and we each took an arm and began carrying him over to Phillippe. Obviously, he didn't like the idea of carrying an unidentified creature, because he let out a startled whinny and backed away.

"C'mon, Phillippe, help us out." Belle pleaded.

"Yeah, Phil. If it wasn't for Beast, you'd be dinner for those wolves, and I'll bet they just love horse-meat." I added.

Phillippe let out a grunt and backed away. Belle walked over and grabbed his reigns, pulling him over to the Beast with all her might. "Phillippe, either help us out, or we're leaving you with the wolves!"

I chuckled at Belle's fierceness. "You know, you almost sounded like Beast for a second there."

"Oh, hush and get him on."

I had to admit, lifting the Beast onto a horse wasn't so easy, especially since Phillippe kept moving and protesting. Finally, Belle coaxed him enough to calm down, and got him to lie on his belly, which made getting the Beast on his back a whole lot easier.

"Thanks for cooperating." I patted Phillippe, walking beside him as Belle guided him back toward the castle.

The wind began to blow harder, and it began to blizzard. I looked over at Belle, noticing she was shaking from the cold. I handed her my cloak. "Here, Belle. You'll need this."

"Oh, Lynn, I couldn't---"

"Take it, Belle. There is no way I'm bringing back a popsicle for a sister!" She accepted my cloak, and didn't question what a popsicle was (thank the Lord).

The more we walked the worse the weather became. "One minute, the leaves are just falling, then all of a sudden a blizzard comes in!" I griped. "Some weather, huh?"

"Don't worry, it'll clear up soon. I hope." Belle said.

Soon, after a long trek, we made it back to the castle, and at first I thought someone had broken in and started carrying out the furniture, then I realized: hello, it's an enchanted castle, remember? Those are the servants!

"My gracious! What in the world happened??" Mrs. Potts gasped once she saw us.

"We'll explain in a minute." I said as Belle and I pulled the Beast off Phillippe. "Right now, we need to get your master by a fire and get some warm water, stat!"

The servants obeyed, helping us get the Beast into the castle, while one of them-- a coat hanger-- took Phillippe to the stables. Soon, we were by the fireplace.

"Lynn, your shoulder!" Belle gasped. "It's bleeding!"

"Yeah, and it hurts like heck," I said, pulling my shirt collar a bit off my shoulder far enough to look at the bite.

"Try having a bite mark everywhere on your body," A familiar gruff voice said, making us jump a little.

"You're awake," Belle said to the Beast. "How are you feeling?"

The Beast glowered. "Didn't you just hear me?"

"Calm down, dude. She was just asking," I scoffed. "Just sit back and relax, alright?"

The beast opened his mouth to protest, until Mrs. Potts and the rest of the servants came back in, with a bowl and two cloths. Belle picked up Mrs. Potts and poured hot water into the bowl, then soaked the two cloths in the water. I picked one up and set it on my shoulder, then let out a hiss of pain-- it hurt just as bad as the bite.

The Beast was about to lick his wound, but Belle stopped him. "Oh, don't do that---" She said, and he pulled his arm away and growled, making the servants back away. Belle tried to put the cloth on his arm, but he kept moving it away.

"Oh, just let her handle it, Beast." I said, rolling my eyes. "It's not like she's going to perform surgery."

"Just-- Hold-- Still!" Belle finally got the cloth on his arm, and he roared in pain.

"_That hurts_!" The Beast snapped.

"You're telling me," I muttered under my breath.

"Well, if you didn't move so much, it wouldn't hurt as much!" Belle snapped back at the Beast.

"Well, if you two hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened!" The Beast argued.

"Well, if you hadn't scared us, we wouldn't have!" I scoffed, jumping into the argument.

The Beast paused, thinking of a snappy comeback. "Well, I wouldn't have if you both hadn't gone into the West Wing!"

"Well, you should learn to control your temper!" Belle snapped. There was no way the Beast had a remark for that.

"Belle- One. Beast- Zero." I said, quietly.

"Now, hold still, this might sting," Belle set the cloth back on the Beast's wound, and he hissed with pain.

I held his other hand-- er, paw. "Don't worry, the pain will subside," He looked at me, quizzically. I cleared my throat, patting his paw and letting go.

"Thank you for saving us, by the way,"

"Yeah, we would've been wolf-chow if you didn't come around."

The Beast looked at both of us. "You're welcome," he said, a small smile appearing on his face. The servants calmed down and stepped up closer.

I grabbed some bandages and wrapped them around his wounded arm. "You're a pretty awesome fighter. Those wolves will be running for weeks to keep out of your way,"

"Thank you. (Ahem) You... fought well, too."

_Good heavens, did he just compliment me?? _I thought in surprise. "Thanks, but I still need to improve." I said, taking off my hat and wiping sweat off my forehead. "After all, you pretty much handled every---"

"Mama, look!" Chip exclaimed, giggling. "Lynn looks like a girl!"

I paused, then realized that my shoulder-length hair was now down. "Um, Chip?" Belle said, chuckling. "Lynn is, uh..." She looked at me, wondering if she would like me to say it.

The servants had been mistaking me for a boy, and I wanted it that way, so that I wouldn't double their chances of breaking the spell, if you know what I mean. But, since the hat was off, I had no choice.

Besides, I was growing a little tired of my boy-charade, anyway. "I'm a girl," I sighed, and everyone's jaws dropped.

"But, why were you dressed as a man?" Lumiere asked.

"Well... I don't like wearing dresses, that's all."

"Why didn't you say anything when we addressed you as one, then?" Cogsworth asked.

I shrugged. "I guess I didn't pay much attention," It was a lie, but I didn't want to mention that I knew about their plan and spoil the movie.

There was a little awkward silence in the room after that. "Well, if you excuse me..." I said, standing up and turning to leave the room. "I'm going to go get some rest."

"Erm, goodnight," Mrs. Potts said, still surprised.

I looked at Belle and the Beast-- who was just as surprised as his servants. I gave him a nod and left the room. _Huh, boy, what's going to happen to me now? _I thought, nervously.

* * *

**3rd person POV**

The blizzard blew hard, but the weather seemed warm compared to the scenery inside the Tavern, which was open late for a 'special meeting' between Gaston, LeFou... and the keeper of the Asylum.

"I normally don't leave the Asylum this late at night, so I hope you'll make this worth my while," The Asylum keeper said. Gaston tossed him a bag of coins, making him grin. "Ah... I'm listening."

"I want Belle to marry me, but she needs a little... persuasion." Gaston said.

"Ha! Turned him down flat!" LeFou said. Gaston smacked him upside the head, trapping his mouth in a mug, which he had to pry off.

"You weren't so smooth with Lynn, either, so I'd shut it!" Gaston turned back to the keeper. "Which brings us to my proposition. Belle loves her friend and father, yet everyone knows they're both crazy-- and she'll do anything to keep them from being thrown in the loony bin."

"Yeah, even marry him!" Gaston raised his hand to smack LeFou again, but he slammed the mug over his head before he could.

"So, you want me to lock up the poor girl's father and friend just to get her to marry you?" The keeper asked. Gaston nodded, then LeFou whispered something into his ear.

Gaston rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed, then turned to the keeper. "And we'll throw in an extra bag of gold if you threaten to lock up Lynn if she doesn't wed LeFou."

The keeper sighed, solemnly. "Oh, that sort of cunning is just low and ruthless..." then he smiled a wicked smile, laughing and clutching a gold coin in his hand. "I love it!"

* * *

A/N: What sort of mess will Lynn get into next? Please review to find out. Please flame if you want a spear through your forehead. Whoa! (ducks spear that pins the wall) Very funny, guys!


	9. Chapter 9: Talking to a Coatrack

Okay, getting off-track of the movie for a bit here, folks, but enjoy it anyway, okay? AUGH!!! (ducks oncoming nuclear bomb- *Ka-Boom!) Jeez! A simple 'no' would have sufficed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, an all-time spectacular Disney movie that should be released back on DVD, video even!

* * *

_My mother and I sat in the garden, planting a fresh rose bush, something we did every spring. I was only five, but I was still pretty good at gardening... as long as she helped me. "Mommy?" I asked her._

_"Yes, honey?" she replied._

_"What was Daddy like before he went away?"_

_She looked at me, her eyes seeming distant. She sighed heavily, still tucking soil around the stem of the bush. "He was a good man. He used to take me on walks on the beach, leading me down to the fairground on the docks." she smiled. "I remember one time, he spent almost all his money on a midway game, trying to win me a teddy bear."_

_"The blue one on your dresser?"_

_"That's the one. ...Hand me that small bag of plant food, would you please?"_

_I handed her the bag. "Here you go. ...Mommy?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Why did Daddy leave?"_

_I saw some sadness in her eyes. Before she could reply, though, a large dark cloud rolled in and we heard thunder. We quickly grabbed all our gardening supplies and put them in the shed, then ran quickly into the house as the rain began to pour. No matter how fast we ran, we still got soaked._

_We changed into some warm pajamas and snuggled beneath a blanket, then began to watch TV, and we smiled widely when we saw what was on._

_"Beauty and the Beast!" I squealed._

_"Shall we watch it?" My mother asked rhetorically, and I nodded eagerly. Cuddling close to each other, we watched our favorite movie..._

I woke up from my dream, opening my eyes slowly. Looking outside, it was snowing lightly, and I sighed heavily at the realization that my mother was gone. Though, my spirits were lifted a bit when I remembered I was in '_Beauty and the Beast_'.

I slipped out of bed, the trim of my long-sleeved nightgown falling to my ankles. Glenda-- the wardrobe-- had picked out for me, once she had found out I was a girl. It was a simple style, a light-tan color with a white rim along the neck-shoulder area and thin cuffs at the sleeves. Normally, I wore night-shirts and pants to bed, but I figured I'd try wearing a night-gown once... secretly, I always wanted to try one on, but was too into my tomboyish nature to do so.

I looked over and saw that Belle was asleep on the other side of the bed, a small smile on her lips. _I wonder what she's dreaming about... her mom, perhaps? _I thought, smiling.

It was still dark out, but I didn't feel like falling back asleep, especially after what happened earlier that night. I still had some adrenaline built up in me, but I figured I could practice some fencing later, and explore a little in the meantime.

I crept out the door, walking down the hallway. Even though I was more used to my surroundings, the scenery still seemed a little creepy. _I feel like I'm in one of those slasher films. _I thought, then cringed a bit. _...Why did I have to think of that?_

I reached the stairway, resting my hand on the rail. ...I really, really, REALLY wanted to climb on it and slide down, just for kicks. But I didn't want to make a ruckus and wake anyone, so I resisted... for now.

I made my way down the stairs and toward the kitchen. Maybe I could see if there were any leftovers to sneak for a midnight snack. On my way there, however, I saw a small glow coming from the living room, and as curious as I was, I walked over.

There was a fire burning brightly in the fireplace, and from the looks of it, someone had been keeping it lively. Who would be up that late? Slowly, I walked over to see who it was, ducking behind the chair. I peeked out from behind it, looking to see if anyone was sitting in it. No one was, and there was no one in front of the fireplace, either.

_I guess one of the servants tended to it recently. _I guessed, sitting down in front of the warm flames, pulling my knees up to my chest and hugging them. It was nice beside the fire, the warmth of it was so relaxing, and I was beginning to drift asleep.

A yawn from behind jolted me awake, and I looked over my shoulder, seeing the coat-rack servant stretching. "Hey, what are you doing down here?" he asked... judging from its voice, I presumed it was a 'he'.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep." I said, shrugging. "I decided to walk around for a little bit, and I saw the fireplace going, so... yeah."

He nodded. "Yeah, we like to keep the castle warm during the winter, so we always make sure to keep a fire burning at night. It was... (yawn) my turn to tend to it. ...Though, it makes me a little nervous."

"How come?"

"Well, I'm made out of wood, you know, and it doesn't do well with fire."

"Ah, right. Good point."

"Yeah, but at least I'm not made of wax like Lumiere. He'd melt faster, and I know he knows it, because he keeps as far away from the fire as possible."

I remembered the scene where LeFou was holding up a torch to Lumiere, trying to melt him (another reason why I'm not too fond of the squirt), so I wouldn't doubt it. "Yeah, that would suck, especially since he's such a nice guy."

The coat-rack chuckled. "I'll say. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had this job! ...Then again, I wouldn't be a twiggy coat-rack either..." He didn't have a face, but I could sense he was frowning.

"Hey, could be worse. You could have ended up as the chamber pot." ...I always wanted to crack that joke.

He laughed. "Thank goodness no one did. ...My name is Jean de Fen." He held out his hand-- well, rack stem-- and I grabbed it, shaking it lightly.

"Call me Lynn."

"So, tell me, Lynn-- everyone wants to know-- why did you dress up as a boy, and never bring up the fact that you were a girl?"

"One, it's a bit personal to have to clarify one's gender. And two, I'm a tomboy, so it's kind of my style."

"Tomboy? I've never heard of that."

"It's a term used to describe a girl who dresses-- and often acts-- like a boy."

"Ah. So, why do you do it? I mean, doesn't it get a bit aggravating?"

"Sometimes, but I don't let it get to me. Besides, pretending to be a boy was the only way to learn archery and fencing back in the village. You know, since they only let _men_ do those kind of things."

"Into the manly arts, I take it?" Jean chuckled. "Well, I see nothing wrong with that, especially after hearing how you fought off those wolves with the master."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "You heard about that, huh?"

"Oh, of course! Chip wanted to know what had happened-- the eager little tyke-- and Belle told us about how you and the master came out of the trees, smacking away those wolves, making them run and hide as if they were kittens."

I chuckled. "Well, your master did the _real_ fighting. Heck, he even saved me from being mauled by those vicious mutts! I just helped him out by pulling a wolf off of him and cutting a couple with my knife. I'm not _that _good of a fighter, to tell the truth. He's pretty much the real hero."

"I don't doubt that. He raced out of the castle to go find you both, you know. He didn't say why, though, and it puzzles me..."

"Why?"

"Well... the master always held a grudge after he lost his temper, and I didn't think he would go after you two."

I thought about the part of the movie, where the Beast had yelled at Belle (still my least favorite part) yet had a look of shame on his face afterwards, sorry for what he'd done. "Well, he might have changed his attitude."

"Mm. Maybe."

I thought about an explanation, just as curious as Jean was on why the Beast had saved us, but coming up with one wasn't easy. Was he concerned? Or did he just not want us to run away and break our word?

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter _why_ he came after us. I'm just glad he did."

Jean nodded. "Same here." He stretched and yawned once again. "Well, I'd better get some sleep. It was nice talking to you, Lynn."

"It was nice talking to you too, Jean. G'night."

"Good night." And he left the room, leaving me by the fireplace.

I stared at the glowing orange fire a little more. Now that Jean had gone off, the sleep returned to my eyes, and my eyelids closed slowly as I stretched out across the floor, drifting asleep with the warmth of the crackling fire on my face.

* * *

I woke up maybe a couple hours later. Looking over, I saw that the fire was still going (thanks to Jean, of course) the snow outside had stopped falling... and there was a blanket lying over me. Looking over, I also saw the footstool curled up at my feet.

_Someone must have found me asleep down here. _I thought, and I guessed that it was probably Jean... unless someone else woke up to check on the fire.

A soft snore caught my attention, and I looked over and saw the Beast in his chair, resting his face in his palm. That wrapped up that mystery. Smiling, I stood up, and the footstool got up too, letting out a little bark.

"Shh," I shushed the footstool, picking up the blanket and draping it over the Beast, then whispered. "Thank you. Again."

Then I walked back up the stairs and into my room, climbing back into bed next to Belle and falling asleep for the third time, even though sunrise was coming close.

* * *

A/N: I thought I'd add a bit of fluff in this chapter. Tell me what you think... BUT HOLD OFF ON THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION!!

Mob: Aw, man...


	10. Chapter 10: Rendezvous in the Garden

TAKE COVER!!! (jumps into foxhole)

Heat-seeking missile: -goes KABOOM!-

And they said filling the foxholes with ice-cubes was a dumb idea.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Beauty and the Beast. *sigh*

* * *

I woke up to Belle shaking me. "Uh, five more minutes, mom..." I said, sleepily.

Belle giggled. "C'mon, sleepy-head. Time to get up," she said. "You don't want to miss breakfast, do you?"

I jumped out of bed, quickly getting dressed. If there was one thing that could get me out of bed quicker, it was the mention of food... especially when it was served to you my enchanted Disney characters! "Let's go."

"Well, hold on! I have to get dressed, too!"

I waited as Belle put on a beautiful emerald-green dress. I was wearing my regular black pants with a light-blue blouse, courtesy of Glenda. We then walked down the hallway, heading to the dining room.

"So, where did you go last night?" Belle asked.

I froze. "How did you know I went somewhere?" I asked.

"I saw you come into the room earlier this morning."

I was surprised. Belle looked like she was asleep last night-- pretty good actress, I must say. "I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't sleep, so I decided to walk around the castle," I told her about meeting Jean, and how I fell asleep again, only to wake up with a blanket over me and the Beast in his chair, asleep.

"You really think he covered you with the blanket?"

"It was either him or Jean, and as tired as that coat-rack sounded, it's a safe guess that it was Beast. ...Kind of sweet of him, if you think about it."

Belle chuckled. "He does seem a lot nicer. ...Kind of."

I could sense she still had a bit of doubt about the Beast in her voice, but I let it slide. I knew sooner or later she'd warm up to him.

We came across Mrs. Potts when we reached the dining room. "Good morning, ladies," she said, tipping forward in a curtsy.

"Morning," Belle and I both replied.

"Breakfast is not ready yet, in case you are wondering. It will be ready within an hour or so."

"What should we do until then?" Belle asked.

I thought about it. "We could take a walk outside and check out that garden Lumiere and Cogsworth told us about," I suggested.

Belle smiled. "I figured you would want to do that," and we went up to our room and grabbed some cloaks.

We began walking down the hall, the little footstool running up and yipping beside us. I reached down and stroked it's back. "Good boy," and it yipped again, nuzzling against my leg.

Cogsworth walked by us. "Good morning, ladies," he said, then faced me. "Oh, Lynn, the master would like to speak with you."

"Me?? Why me?"

Cogsworth shrugged. "He wouldn't say."

I looked at Belle, seeing a look of concern in her eyes. "You can go ahead, Belle. I'll catch up with you later."

She sighed, put an arm around my shoulders, and whispered, "Be careful," and then walked away, the footstool following her.

I followed Cogsworth up the stairs of the West Wing, toward the Beast's room. I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What did he want to see me for? Did I do something wrong? Was it about last night? Was it about my dressing up as a guy?

A more horrific thought entered my head: What if he had fallen in love with me instead?! _There goes the movie, _I thought, worriedly.

Once we reached his room, we saw the Beast standing on his balcony with Lumiere, wearing a white shirt and dark-blue cloak. That's when I knew exactly what part of the movie I was in, and my heart began to stop racing (a little). "You... wanted to see me?" I asked.

The Beast turned to me and grinned a little. "Yes, I would like to talk to you," he replied.

I stood next to him on the balcony, looking down at the snow-filled garden scenery. Some critics would wonder, if the castle is on a mountain, how could it have a garden? And my answer would be: It's a Disney movie, so anything is possible.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"It's about... your sister, Belle." Beast replied, looking down at Belle, who walked through the garden with Phillippe. "Tell me, what is she like?"

I restrained breathing a sigh of relief. Thank God, he still had more interest in her! "Gosh, I don't know where to start. She's funny, she's very kind-- of course, you already know that-- she loves to read, she's very smart, especially compared to the other girls back in the village. She's quite an individual where we come from."

"You're quite the individual yourself, Lynn." Lumiere said to me, bouncing his eyebrows. "Tell us, why do you dress up as a man, rather than as the beautiful girl that you are?"

I blushed a little at his compliment, then told them what I told Jean last night: about being a tomboy and having to dress up as a man in order to learn archery, fencing and everything. "It's a good thing none of them suspected me, especially when my hat fell off one time. Once I learned all there was to know, I began practicing at home."

"Why didn't you just dress up as a girl and train?"

I sighed. "One, it's hard to fence while wearing a dress and heels. Two... everyone in the village thinks that girls should learn how to cook and clean, nothing else. And they gave Belle and I a hard time just because she likes to read and I prefer to look like a guy. They think it's wrong,"

"How absurd!"

"Yeah..." I turned to Beast. "Anyway, why did you want to know so much about Belle?" ---even though the reason was obvious.

Beast looked back down at Belle, then rubbed his bandaged arm. "I've never felt like this about anyone before." a look of determination appeared on his face. "I want to do something for her! ...But what?" He turned to us for advice.

"Oh, let's see... flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep..." Cogsworth said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, every girl wants that." I scoffed, sarcastically. "If you want to show her how much she means to you, you've got to do something special, find something that sparks her interest."

"Lynn is right, Cogsworth," Lumiere said. "It must be something spectacular, something she'll really like... Wait, I know!"

"What?" Cogsworth and Beast asked.

"The library! She has an interest in books, no?"

"That's a great idea, Belle would love that!" I agreed.

"You really think so?" Beast asked.

"Trust me, I know Belle, and she'd go ga-ga if she had a library in her grasp."

Beast smiled and nodded. "Then a library she shall get. Thank you," And he left us on the balcony.

"Go get her, Romeo! Sweep her off her feet!"

Once he was out of the room, my eyes fell back on the enchanted rose, and I was once again beguiled by it's beauty, and I thought about my dream-- my memory-- from last night. I looked at the rose and sighed deeply.

"What is wrong, mon-cherie?" Lumiere asked, spotting the concern on my face.

"Oh, it's nothing," I replied, turning and looking back down at the garden, just in time to see Beast talk to Belle, leading her back into the castle. "Gosh, I hope spring gets here quick. Your garden must be beautiful when it's not covered in snow."

"Ah, you enjoy gardening, I take it?"

"Very much. My mother and I would spend all our time in our garden, planting roses-- she adored roses-- and it was basically our favorite past-time. We used to garden every sunny day, until..." I stopped sighing again.

"Until what?" Cogsworth asked, and Lumiere nudged him to shut it.

"Until she passed away."

"You had to ask, didn't you?" I heard Lumiere scold to Cogsworth.

I shrugged. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt to talk about it. Besides, I like remembering my mom... man, she would love this place."

"She would??" Lumiere and Cogsworth questioned.

"Sure. Who wouldn't love visiting an enchanted castle?" I smiled at them, then left.

As I walked down the hallway, I looked down one corridor, where Beast was about to show Belle the library. I chuckled, seeing the eager look on his face, then walked on toward the doors that lead to the garden.

I walked along some hedges, past a fountain covered with dead weeds. I pulled the weeds off the fountain, throwing them in a pile. I continued my walk, seeing that some dead plants were covering some plants getting ready to bloom for spring. I pulled out the dead plants, giving the fresh plants more room to grow.

Every few feet, I saw an area of the garden that needed touched up-- some dead leaves that needed to be raked away from some bushes, tall grass that needed to be cut, vines covering some statues, etc. Finally, I walked over to a shed by the stables, grabbed some gardening tools, and got to work.

Sure, it was still winter, but I wasn't going to wait until spring to spruce up the garden. How could it grow after winter if it was surrounded by dead things? I would not stand for it.

As I worked, a scrawny shadow fell over me. "Isn't it a little cold to be working in the garden?" A voice asked, and I looked up and saw Jean standing behind me, a scarf wrapped around his neck-area.

I shrugged. "Hey, it's better to get the dead weeds out of the way so they won't be around in the spring," I replied.

He nodded. "Good thinking. You must really like to garden if you care so much about ours."

"Hey, it's practically my hobby."

"And you're good at it. It's starting to look beautiful again... even though nothing has grown yet."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Mind if I help you?"

"Sure, go ahead." I handed him a small shovel and we began to uproot dead plants.

After five minutes, he nudged my arm. "Hey, look, it's the master and your sister!" he whispered, and we looked over, seeing Belle and the Beast feeding some birds. "What do you suppose they're thinking?"

I smiled wide. "I don't know... but something tells me Belle's noticing something about your master that she's never seen before." ...I knew what she was thinking.

We continued working, secretly glancing back at Belle and the Beast. Suddenly, as I looked away, a snowball hit me. "What the...?!" I sputtered.

"Sorry, Lynn!" Belle called.

I smiled devilishly, packing in a snowball. "Not yet, you aren't!" I threw one at her, but she easily dodged it.

I saw Beast pack one huge snowball, ready to toss it... but I hit him with a snowball before he could throw it. "Hey!" he called, but didn't really seem mad.

A snowball fight erupted between us just then: Jean and I against Belle and the Beast. It wasn't exactly a fair competition, since Jean was having trouble packing snowballs (since he had wooden hangers for hands) and the Beast could make snowballs the size of Canada.

Still, we had fun, creaming each other with snowballs until noon, then we decided to head inside. That's when I heard my stomach growl, realizing that I had missed breakfast due to my rendezvous in the garden.

"Hungry?" Jean asked me, hearing my stomach's protests.

"Yeah, just a little," I said, and my stomach growled again. "Okay, more than a little."

"C'mon, lunch should be ready by now."

I followed him into the dining room. I looked back, seeing that Belle and the Beast weren't with us. _They're by the fireplace, reading. _I remembered.

"It looks like Belle and your master have grown to like each other," I said.

"Yeah, there may be something there that wasn't there before," Jean replied.

I chuckled as that song popped into my head. "I wouldn't doubt it."

* * *

A/N: So... review?

catapult: -goes twang!-

giant wooden rabbit: -goes crash!-

Whoa! ...Sheesh, that's the last time I let the mob watch a Monty Python movie!


	11. Chapter 11: Plans for Romance

And it's the 11th Chapter! I think it's time to get some reviewer thanks in!

Reviewer Thanks

Neko-chan4566: Neh, I don't think so…. Gotcha! Lol, you can bet I'll be finishing this story! And yes, I tend to get fluffy when I write. :D

And my longest and most loyal reviewer, Beastly Rose: Thanks for the killer rabbit, I---

Killer rabbit: rawr!

…Ack! Down, bunny! Down!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, but that would be FREAKIN' AWESOME if I did =D

* * *

After lunch, Jean and I walked down the hallway. As we were passing a corridor, I stopped, overhearing the other servants talking, and from the grins on their faces, I could pretty much figure out why-- Belle and the Beast' newfound relationship was good news for them.

For one terrifying moment, I thought they were going to break out into that song, "Human Again", a song that was shown on the DVD release of the movie that was cut out from the original. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a pretty cool song, especially when it shows how all the servants are preparing for the big night, but if you ask me, I think the movie was just fine.

…Then again, now that I was in the movie, I had no critical right to listen to what the servants sang. _After all, if they feel like singing, let 'em sing. _I told myself.

I snuck down the corridor, leaving Jean's side for a moment to eavesdrop on what they were saying. "…I just can't believe the spell will be broken!" Babette, the feather duster, whispered excitedly.

"Now, don't get your hopes up too far, dear," Mrs. Potts said. "In order for the spell to be broken, they must confess love for one another, and they've only known each other for a day. We must not rush these things."

"But the rose is wilting---"

"Now, now, it's still full of petals. There's plenty of time for them to spark a flame."

"But what if something goes wrong?" Cogsworth asked, sounding a bit worried. "What if one of them changes their mind? Or worse… what if Lynn…" he paused, wondering if he should say more.

"What if Lynn what, Cogsworth?" Lumiere asked, hands-- er, candle-stems-- on hips-- er, well… oh you know what I mean!

"What if… the master falls in love with her instead, but she doesn't love him back? And that may get Belle upset… what if Lynn causes a love triangle?"

My jaw almost dropped. I would have stormed out in front of Cogsworth and blew up at him if Mrs. Potts hadn't said, "Oh, tish tosh, Cogsworth! You've seen the way the master looks at Belle…"

"Ah, oui," Lumiere said, with a dreamy sigh. "The way his eyes glitter, the way he smiles, the way that dark cloud over his head disappears every time she enters the room… It's a sign of pure Lamoure."

"…And, besides, I don't think Lynn is in love with the master."

"But how do you know?" Cogsworth questioned. "You remember the way she looked at him earlier? She showed no fear, no disgust-- a little attitude, perhaps-- but all in all, I don't think she was intimidated by his appearance at all, and I believe the only reason why is because she likes him---"

"-- as a friend," I said firmly, walking out from my hiding place (startling the servants a bit). I had enough of Cogsworth's theory. But I kept my cool. "Look, I don't know what you guys are talking about," ---this was a lie, but I had to play clueless about the spell part-- "but if it includes Belle and your master's relationship, don't include me in it. Besides, you shouldn't poke your noses into other people's social lives. …That goes double for you, Cogsworth."

"Lynn! H-h-how much did you hear---" Lumiere stammered, but Cogsworth covered his mouth.

"What he's trying to say is, what were you doing eavesdropping?" Cogsworth demanded.

"I was passing down the hallway when I heard Belle's name come up." I replied, then-- not being able to help myself-- I added slyly, "And I want to know this business about that rose, and how it links to Belle and your master finding romance."

"Why, uh…"

"Don't try to hide anything, either. Something's going on, and if it concerns my sister, I want to know about it!"

Mrs. Potts sighed in defeat. "We might as well tell her. After all, she _does_ have a right to know now." she said.

"You see, it started a long time ago, on the Master's 11th birthday…" Lumiere began, covering Cogsworth's mouth when he tried to protest. "He was not always a beast, and we were not always furniture… We are all under a spell."

I arched an eyebrow, pretending to be stunned. "Sheesh, I just thought the castle was enchanted on it's own. I didn't think it was all because of a spell!" I said… man, I felt stupid. "What happened?"

They told me the story that was shown in the beginning of the movie: how the Beast was spoiled, turned away an old beggar woman who turned out to be an enchantress, yadda yadda… while I just nodded occasionally, widening my eyes with every word, pretending to be amazed and shocked.

"What could have made an 11 year old boy so mean that would cause him to turn away a seemingly poor woman?" I asked when they finished.

Mrs. Potts heaved a sad sigh. "That is the worst part… months before the spell took place, a tragic event took place." she said. "His mother fell fatally ill, and his father went off on a crusade. All he had for company were us, but his heart was so full of ache that he wanted no pity, no sympathy… then, he started to become demanding, and decided to take charge of the castle until his father returned… which he never did."

Now _that's_ something they never put in the movie. I was stunned, for real this time. _He was covering up his emotions all that time? _I wondered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with sorrow toward the Beast… no, toward the young boy he used to be, who had lost someone very dear to him and had no way of fixing it, and acting stubborn so no one would identify him as a pitiful, lonely person.

…Somehow, I could relate to that-- forcing to deal with losing my mom, denying to belong in a foster home, acting as the tough-guy… all to cover the sadness within.

My eyes felt misty, but I held back tears. "I never knew…" I said quietly.

"Just don't say anything about it," Babette said. "He tends to get… uh, 'emotional' at the mention of his family."

"I won't say a word. …In fact, I feel like helping him out."

"Really?? How?" Lumiere asked.

I knelt down, smiling. "Well, let's just say I'd like to fan the flames between the two of them. After all, they do like each other… and I doubt just as friends."

The servants all nodded and decided to allow me to join. Suddenly, we heard footsteps, and stood up straight and smiling innocently as Belle walked around the corner. "Hello, everyone," she said, then noticed our nervous smiles. "…What are you guys up to?"

"Oh, nothing," I said, shrugging. "We're just… mingling. Where's Beast?"

"He's in the library. I just came down to see what you were up to befor I go to read a book to him."

"Cool, what book?"

She held up the book. "Romeo and Juliet." she turned to leave. "Oh, by the way, Lynn, a coat rack-- uh, I mean, _gentleman_ is looking for you."

Oh, man, I forgot about Jean! "I'll catch up with him in a sec. Enjoy your reading session."

She giggled and continued walking down the hall. "I will. Enjoy your… mingling."

I breathed out a sigh of relief when she was gone. "That was too close."

"Yes, it was." Cogsworth said sternly. "We'll discuss plans later by the West Wing. Everybody, back to your duties." he faced me. "And don't say a word."

"I won't. Sheesh…" I walked off down the hall to look for Jean, leaving the servants to get back to their jobs… all the while smiling when I thought about what was coming up tonight.

* * *

A/N: Alrighty then! Now here's where I ask some advice… Should I include that song "Human Again" in the story?

a) Yes, it would be a nice addition.

b) No, it would ruin the whole thing like it did the movie!

c) Give me the killer bunny!

d) There was an extra song?

And please review! No flames, though, okay?


	12. Chapter 12: Duel Lynn vs Jean

I'm SO sorry for taking so long! I had writer's block and other fanfics... NO, that's not a good enough excuse! Oh, please don't unleash another killer bunny on me! Here, here's the next chapter! (once again, sorry!)

Reviewer Thanks

Beastly Rose: ^-^ your welcome, and since you think it'll be a nice inclusion, I've decided to add the extra song. ...Oh, yeah, here's your killer bunny back, along with some coconuts for your travels ;)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Beauty and the Beast. What do I look like, a Disney producer?!

* * *

I met up with Jean in the hall. "Hey, sorry for making you wait up," I apologized. "I was just meeting with the other servants."

"Oh? What about?" Jean asked, his voice sounding a little nervous.

"Well..." I looked around, making sure Belle nor the Beast were nearby. They weren't, but I kept my voice in a whisper. "I know about your plans for my sister and your master, and they decided to let me help out."

He gulped (well, it sounded like he did). "You... know about everything?"

I nodded. "They told me everything. Don't worry, I won't let anything slip out. We're going to meet later to discuss the plans."

"Alright... but, are you okay with this? I mean, us setting a little rendezvous between your sister and my master and all?"

I shrugged. _It never bothered me when I watched the movie. _I thought. "Eh, it's fine with me. Besides, I'd say they like each other already..." As if by coincidence, we were walking by the library and the door was slightly open, and we peeked in to see Belle reading to the Beast.

I looked up at Jean and smiled, and even though he didn't really have a face, he smiled as well. We kept walking so not to disturb them, walking down the hall toward the stairs.

"So, what shall we do until the meeting?" Jean asked.

I thought about it. What would I normally do while I waited for something? "Do you have any fencing equipment?" I asked.

Jean nodded. "Of course. Follow me."

* * *

I followed Jean down the stairs to a room. Inside was the largest collection of swords, knives, bows and arrows, archery targets, and so many things I didn't even know the names of! _I think I died and gone to Heaven's Weaponry... _I thought, gazing around in awe.

Jean pulled down a ragged, dusty curtain, letting some sunlight in. Then he picked up two fencing swords (able to hold them with some incredible Disney magic) and handed one to me. "Care to have an opponent?" he asked, striking a ready pose.

I grinned, putting on some protective gear. "Come get some, if you think you're tough enough." I said playfully, quoting Tanith Low from _Skulduggery Pleasant_. Hey, I've always wanted to use that line.

We began our competition and, I had to admit later, he was pretty good. I had to put in all my effort to block every move he made, and sweat began running down my forehead... and it hadn't even been two minutes!

"You're quite good at this," I complimented him, backing up and leaping upon a bench. "For a guy who's been stuck in a castle for ten years."

I leaped off the bench, aiming for his sword's handle to stick mine through it and twist upward to disarm him, but he was quicker and knocked my sword downward. "Within those ten years, I spent most of my time in here-- practicing hour by hour, day by day, pushing my effort to increase my skill." he explained as our swords clinked together rapidly.

I leaped and rolled out of his way, standing up beside a sword rack. "You need to find yourself a girl, mate," I joked (Yes, I quoted Jack Sparrow).

He shrugged. "Well, it's hard to find one when your a coat-rack and busy working for someone." he came at me, and our swords met again, this time locked in place as we stared at each other face-to-face. "I'd say, since you're as skilled as I am, you need to find yourself a man... 'mate'."

I smirked. "I don't train because I don't have a man..." with a twist of my wrist, I tipped my sword so that the side of it was under the cup of his handle, then bent it upward quick and 'throwing' it upward and into my own hand, pointing both swords at his chest and throat areas. "I train so I can beat one and prove how strong a woman can be."

He chuckled. "Well, you've certainly proved me how strong you are!"

I smiled, handing his sword back. "Care for a second round?"

Before he could reply, the door opened and a broom walked in. "There you are!" the broom said with an irritated male voice. "Come along, you two, we have a meeting to attend, remember?"

"Oh, right! Sorry, we lost track of time." Jean said, taking my sword and putting it on the rack, and we followed the broom out into the hall.

* * *

We met by the West Wing, where Cogsworth stood on one of the stairs with a pointer (ooh, what a professional). "Alright, everyone, we've got exactly 12 hours, 36 minutes and 10 seconds to break the spell," he announced, and a small table carrying the rose came running up next to him. "Everything needs to be perfect and go smoothly before the last--" he tapped the glass dome covering the rose, and we gasped. "-- petal--" another hit, and it's now on the edge! "falls!"

Luckily, the table quickly moved before he could knock off the rose... and he fell over, a couple gears falling off him as he did. He then stood up on the foot stool, after it helped him up. "Easy, Cogs, we're trying to _fix _things, remember?" I joked, getting a few laughs from some of the servants.

"(ahem) Yes, right. ...Alright, half of you take the east wing, the other half of you take the west, and the rest of you come with me!"

But, we didn't listen, and ran off to get to work. I went with Jean, carrying a dust rag. _Tonight's the big night... _I thought, happily.

But happiness went as quickly as it came, because I knew what was coming up later that night...

* * *

A/N: Alright, next chapter, the extra song and then Lynn gets a bit of a surprise... ;) Alright, please review, but no--- ACK!! (ducks as flaming arrow his the wall) Alright, who got into my archery kit?!


	13. Chapter 13: Human Again!

Catapult: *twang!*

Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaagh!!! *splat!* Alright! Alright! I'm sorry for taking so long! Here's the next chapter!

_Reviewer Thanks_

Neko-chan4566: Your wish is my command. *snaps fingers* Here you go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but the OC.

* * *

As I began heading out, I paused at a doorway, interrupting a conversation between Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and Babette. "Hey, guys," I said, smiling politely. "You gonna get ready for the big night?"

Mrs. Potts smiled, chuckling. "We were just on our way to our jobs, my dear." she said.

"You mean 'on your way to break the spell and be human again', right?" They chuckled along with me.

"Ah, oui my friends, Lynn is right. The day we have been waiting for may be at hand!" Lumiere said.

"Oh, only if that were true, Lumiere," Mrs. Potts said.

"What do you mean 'if'?" I scoffed. "Didn't you see the fireworks erupt between Belle and your master? Trust me, guys, you'll be human again by tonight, if my name isn't Lynn Elizabeth Arrow!"

"Ahh, human again," Lumiere said dreamily.

"Human again…" Mrs. Potts sighed happily.

"Yes! And just think of what that means!"

_It means you won't be a living household object! _I wanted to blurt out jokingly, but instead I held my tongue and let Lumiere begin the song…

"**I'll be cooking again, be good looking again, with a mademoiselle on each arm," **as he sang this, he put his arms around Mrs. Potts and Babette. "**When I'm human again, only human again, poised and polished and gleaming with charm…" **He then leaped into Babette's arms, or… where her arms would be… "**I'll be courting again-- chic and sporting again!"**

"**Which should cause several husbands alarm!" **Mrs. Potts sang along, and I couldn't help but laugh at her verse. **"I'll hop down the shelf--"**

"**And toute suite be myself,"**

"**I can't wait to be human again!" **They sang together.

I giggled, then grabbed my cleaning rag and walked off. I walked by the library, where the door was open a little ajar, and I peeked in. Belle was still reading to the Beast-- no surprise. I walked up to our room, and began wiping dust off the window, as a few beauty items on the dresser began to sing…

"**When we're human again, only human again, we'll be knick-knacks and whatnots no more!" **They sang as they swirled in dance on the top of the dresser. **"Little push, little shove, they coul, whoosh fall in love---" **They all then scattered when Glenda leaned on it.

"**Ah, cherie, won't it all be top-drawer!" **Glenda sang, dreamily. **"I'll wear lipstick in rouge, and I won't be so huge-- why, I'll easily fit through that door!" **She got off the dresser (who gasped with relief, I could hear) and came over to the window I was cleaning, tearing down a curtain and wrapping it around herself. **"I'll exude savior-faire-- I'll wear gowns, I'll have hair! It's my prayer to be human again!"**

"In order to have your prayers granted, you have to put a little work in yourself," I said with a giggle, taking the old curtain off of her.

She giggled, blushing. "Oh, I know… I'm just so excited for tonight!"

"You and I both, sister!"

Once I was done cleaning the window, I decided to go help out in the garden. On the way there, I saw Jean in the hallway, polishing the banister… and he was singing as well, a part of the song that even I haven't heard in the movie…

"**When I'm human again, only human again, I'll be a twig-thin coat-rack no more…" **he sang. **"I'll play the violin again, and see my smile again! I'll have the muscular back-bone like before! I'll fence with Lynn-- enguarde!-- and give her my heart… As soon as I'm human again!"**

I couldn't help but blush as I kept walking. Give me his heart? Did he really like me that much? _Nah, he barely knows me! …Then again, this is the Disney world… _I thought, but shook my head, deciding to continue my share of the work… though, it didn't keep my heart from beating fast.

I went outside to help with the garden, and saw Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth standing on a fence by the stables. Cogsworth was wearing a straw hat and holding a pitchfork, looking stoic, and they were both singing…

"**When we're human again, only human again, when the world's once more making sense," **they sang. I heard a yell and a splash, and ran over to see that Cogsworth was flung into a bucket full of water.

"**I'll unwind for a change," **Cogsworth sang, climbing out of the bucket, opening his pendelum door and pouring water (and a goldfish) out.

"**Really? That would be strange," **Lumiere and I both commented at the same time-- obvious proof that I have seen this movie _way_ too many times. We both got a glare from Cogsworth, but that didn't keep us from grinning.

"**Can I help it if I'm tense?! …In a shack by the sea, I'll sit back sipping tea-- let my early retirement commence!" **He dried himself off with a rag, then smiled slyly at Lumiere as he tossed the rag on him. **"Far from fools made of wax, I'll get down to brass tacks and rela--AX!!" **he yelped when Lumiere made a rat-tail with the rag and whipped him.

"**Not 'til you're human again," **I sang, helping him stand back up, and I left the stables.

I walked out to the gardens, and I stood there, awed at the scene-- the snow was scooped away, the plants were growing and green… as if spring had just arrived! (Gotta love the Disney universe). I looked around, seeing if there was anything I could do to help, but every position was filled, so I went back inside, but I still heard singing all around the castle, from outside to the upstairs…

"**So sweep the dust from the floor! **

**Let's let some light in the room! **

**I can feel, I can tell **

**Someone might break the spellAny day now!Shine up the brass on the door!Alert the dustpail and the broom!If all goes as plannedOur time may be at handAny day now!Open the shutters and let in some airPut these here and put those over thereSweep up the yearsOf sadness and tearsAnd throw them away!"**

…I sighed deeply. Sure, I didn't like the song in the DVD Special Addition… but now that I was in their world, hearing them all sing, I thought it was a magnificent addition to the movie. Besides, the servants needed to share their feelings a bit more, I realized. I walked back outside, watching the magic of spring appear.

"**When we're human againOnly human againWhen the girl fin'lly sets us all freeCheeks a-bloomin' againWe're assumin' againWe'll resume our long lost joie de vieWe'll be playin' againHoliday' againAnd we're prayin' it's A-S-A-PWhen we cast off this pallWe'll stand straight, we'll walk tallWhen we're all that we wereThanks to him, thanks to herComing closer and closerAnd closer and…"**

Walking inside and to the ballroom, it was just as spectacular-- mops and brooms were twirling in a dance as they cleaned the floor, while different pieces of furniture tore down old curtains and letting the light in, showing the floor glow as the mops cleaned it, and (of course) they all sang…

"**We'll be dancing again!We'll be twirling again!We'll be whirling around with such easeWhen we're human againOnly human againWe'll go waltzing those old one-two-threesWe'll be floating again!We'll be gliding again!Stepping, striding as fine as you please,"**

I kept walking---

"Oof!"

--and bumped into Jean. "Oh! Sorry, Lynn," he said, taking off the green top-hat on his head in apology. We heard barking, and the foot-stool came running out of the room-- shooed out by a few mops and brooms-- and stopped by Jean, offering him a cleaning rag. "Ah, thank you, Scruff,"

"I didn't know his name was Scruff," I said, bending down and stroking the back of the foot-stool, Scruff.

"Yes, Chip named him." Scruff barked happily, then scampered off. "I was on my way outside to help clean the windows. Wanna come?"

I blushed, remembering _his_ song lyrics… but I pushed my nervousness aside and nodded. "I was just out there, but okay."

We walked outside, just in time for the music number came to a finish…

"**Like a real human doesI'll be all that I wasOn that glorious mornWhen we're fin'lly reborn!"**

Hearing an opera-like voice, we all looked up and… oh, my goodness… "What's Glenda doing on the balcony?!" I gasped, seeing the wardrobe in a swimsuit and diving-cap… LEAPING OFF THE EDGE!!

"She's about to make a dive!" Jean cried, and we ran out of the way.

"**And we're all of us human again!" **The servants sang for the finale, just as Glenda hit the pool cannon-ball style, dousing us all with water!

"Next time everyone bursts into song, remind me to keep away from the 'Splash Zone'." I muttered, spitting out water.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I made up the lyrics in Jean's line… hope it wasn't too cheesy… (ducks tomato) Sha-yeesh! That's the last time _I_ make up song lyrics…

Please review, but HAVE MERCY AND DON'T SEND FLAMES!!!


	14. Chapter 14: Preparing for the Night

I'm going to start off by saying this is my favorite part in the story :D I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Reviewer Thanks

neko-chan4566: Thank you for not criticizing! :D Yeah, I have a feeling they might hook up ;)

* * *

After the preparations were complete, we all walked back inside. Those of us who got soaked by Glenda's 'finale' immediately grabbed some towels to dry off. For the servants, it was quicker for them to dry off-- remember, they're not human (yet). But, as for me, it took longer, and at this point I wish someone in this time period had invented the hair-dryer.

"So, what are you going to do tonight?" Jean asked me as I wrapped my hair in the towel.

I looked at him quizzically. "...Huh?" I responded.

"You know, during the..." he nodded toward the stairs in the ballroom.

"Oh! Um, I don't know." I actually didn't. The biggest scene in the movie, and I had no idea what to do for it! "I'll probably just stand and watch what happens."

Jean rubbed his chin-area. "Maybe... Or you could help me. Tell me, Lynn, do you know how to play any instruments?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, shrugging. "Only the violin."

If he had a mouth, he was probably smiling. "Perfect. Come with me!" Grabbing me by the hand, he pulled me along down the hall toward a pair of large doors. He was about to open them, but turned to me. "Close your eyes, first,"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"It's... kind of a surprise." I shrugged, closing my eyes. (At this point, I couldn't help but feel a bit of Deja Vu...) I heard the sound of doors opening and he led me into the room."Wait here... And no peeking!" I heard him walk off, and I stood there, anxious to see what kind of 'surprise' he had in store for me. A moment later, I heard him approach me from the front. "Okay... open your eyes!"

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw that he was holding a violin case in front of me. He opened it, and my eyes went wide in bewilderment. It was a 16th century red-wood violin, looking brand new... as if it had never been played before. "Where did you get this??"

"I've had it for a while, though I never really got around to playing it. It once belonged to the Amati family, but it was passed down to my family to my grandfather, but he-- along with other members of my family-- didn't know how to play, except me, so he made it rightfully mine. ...What do you think of it?"

I carefully caressed the side of the smooth wood, careful not to leave a fingerprint on the instrument. "It's beautiful."

"Then, I give you the honor of playing it tonight."

I swear, I nearly gasped and passed out right then and there. "What... what did you say?"

"Go ahead. After all, you are a vio-_Lynn_-ist," he chuckled, and it took me two seconds too long to realize his joke, and I laughed too.

"I... I don't know what to say. I mean, it's your violin---"

"But Belle is your sister, and you deserve to have a special part tonight. After all, it's about the _both_ of you,"

"Yes, but Belle's the one who'll break the spell--- Um, so everyone says..."

"True, but both of you came to the castle, both of you helped my master learn how to be more of a gentleman, and the both of you are basically the best thing that's ever happened around here." He handed me the violin. "What do you say? Will you play?"

I smiled, taking the violin in hand. "It would be an honor,"

We looked around a few sheets of music, until we found the perfect one. I knew it was the perfect one just by recognizing the notes: "Tale as Old as Time", the main theme of the movie. I knew the notes by heart (back in my world, I had practiced it with my violin-- what can I say? I'm that big of fan).

"Ah, Jean, there you are!" we heard a voice say from the doorway, and turned to see Mrs. Potts come in. "Did you find your violin?"

Jean nodded. "Yes, and Lynn found a song for us to use," he said, showing Mrs. Potts the choice of song.

She smiled. "Well, isn't that a beautiful choice." she turned to me. "You have a very fine taste in music, my dear."

"Thank you," I said, bowing my head in thanks.

"So, would it be okay if Lynn could play the song tonight?" Jean asked. "She knows how to play the violin and everything,"

"I don't see a problem with it," Mrs. Potts said. "It's her choice, after all, and as long as you think it would be fine..."

"I'll do it/It's fine," Jean and I said at the same time.

Mrs. Potts looked at the two of us, and couldn't help but smile. "Very well then. Shall we practice a little, my dear?"

I shrugged. "Sure,"

"Jean!" Someone called from the doorway. We looked over and saw the broom that had come in earlier. "Lumiere needs you upstairs in the West Wing,"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Jean replied, then turned to me. "I'll see you tonight. Good luck with the practice!"

"Thanks," I said to him as he left the room. I turned to see that Mrs. Potts was still smiling at me. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, dear." She replied with a soft chuckle. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

I had practiced the song all afternoon, with Mrs. Potts instructing me while humming the tune. It was pretty easy to learn-- like I said, I knew it by heart-- but I wanted to make sure I had it absolutely perfect (I'm finicky, that way). When the sun was starting to set, Mrs. Potts said that we could stop the lesson, saying that I knew the song well enough. "It's as if you've heard it a thousand times before," She complimented me.

_How ironic-- I have! _I thought, letting out a chuckle. "Thank you. I do try hard, and I do love the violin," I said.

"Well, now, come along, it's time to get you and your sister ready."

I followed her back to our room, where I saw that Belle was already there as Glenda showed her some options on what to wear. "Lynn!" Belle exclaimed, running over and hugging me. "I haven't seen you all day. What have you been up to?"

"Just hanging out with the servants," I replied with a shrug. "What about you?"

"I've been with Beast in the library, reading with him."

_Why am I not surprised. _I thought, smiling and shaking my head. "You and your libraries. How was it?"

She frowned. "You want the truth?" I nodded, and her false-frown turned to a real-smile. "It was amazing! ...You know, he's not really as bad as we thought he was,"

"Well, you know what they say: 'Never judge a book by its cover'. ...Being a bookworm, you probably knew that already." We both chuckled at the joke.

"Oh, dear, oh dear..." We heard Glenda mutter as she looked through the dresses. "I can't seem to find anything for you to wear, girls! Not for something as special as this."

I looked at Belle, grinning, then turned to Glenda. "Don't worry. If we can't find the perfect dress, we'll _make _one."

* * *

The castle had a seam-stress room, and there we found everything we would need: Sewing needles, fabrics of every texture and color, and a book on how to make dresses. Flipping through the pages, I found just the dress for Belle. "What do you think?" I asked, showing her the picture.

"It's beautiful! ...But, do you think we could make it? I've never made something this good," Belle replied.

"Belle, I know we can make it. If I can learn to sew my own outfits in under a week, then the two of us together can make this dress."

She smiled. "Okay,"

And we got to work. Belle picked out the color of fabric (yellow, of course), and I took her measurements. While I cut the fabric, she sewed it, making some ruffles at the hem of the dress.

Within less than twenty minutes, the dress-- Belle's famous yellow dress-- was complete. (That was a new record for us in sewing). "It's beautiful!" Belle said, holding it up to herself.

"Duh, we made it," I said, smiling. "So, are you going to hold it up against yourself the whole night, or are you going to put it on?"

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright! Don't rush me," she let out a giggle. "I'd say this is our best work yet." She then gave me a quizzical look. "What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"You should have a dress just as special as this, too!"

I scoffed and waved her off. "I'll find something from Glenda. I'm not much of the 'dress' type, anyway. ...Now, go put on the dress! There's a big night planned tonight,"

She turned to leave, then turned to me and arched an eyebrow. "What's planned for tonight?"

_Oh, crap! _I thought, knowing that I blew everyone's cover. "Well, it's a special occasion: the Beast is being more hospitable, spring is here..." she gave me a suspicious look, and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Belle! It's a castle. They always hold something special for certain occasions! ...And this is probably the first one they've had in years, especially now that we're here."

"Is it _because_ we're here?" She looked into my eyes, looking for the truth.

I sighed. Belle-- as I've mentioned-- was practically my sister. Family. I couldn't lie to her. "Yes... The servants wanted to do something special for us-- more special than their last musical number-- and tonight... well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I found out about it, and they didn't want me to say anything..."

"I understand. ...It just seems strange, is all. Doing something special just for us?" She gave me another suspicious look. "...Are you sure it's not for anything else?"

_Alibi! Think of an alibi! _I thought quickly. "Well, c'mon Belle! When do you think was the last time they've had a visitor, let alone two? Probably not since..." I almost brought up the 'spell' part, but caught myself. "Since Lord knows when!" She kept giving me the look, and I sighed. "Belle, they planned this night not just for us, but _you_."

"Me? Why me?"

That's when I did the thing I never wanted to do to Belle-- I lied. "Because... it was my idea. I didn't eavesdrop-- I came up with the plan on my own, and talked to the servants-- and the Beast-- into doing all this." I turned away, looking into the mirror, pretending to look disappointed. "I figured it would help cheer you up a little..."

In the mirror, I saw Belle smile, and she walked over and hugged me. "Lynn, you didn't have to do all this! I'm having a great time here. I couldn't be sad, especially when you're here with me."

I smiled back. "Well, tough cookies, Belle. You're getting a special night, whether you want it or not!"

She chuckled. "Okay... just as long as you don't skip out on me."

Giggling, we walked back to our room. While Belle put on her dress, I put on mine. At the chest-torso area, it was like Belle's (only the chest-part was... smaller), and the hem of it wasn't wide and ruffled, but a bit more slim and flexible. We sat down by the dresser as a living hairbrush and comb did our hair, both of them giving us the same style.

I'll admit, I loved Belle's hair... but the style just wasn't me. As if she could read my mind, she whispered something to the comb and hairbrush, and they changed my hair-- making the back of it a bit more puffed and setting a small, silver tiara on my head, pulling the hair out of my face. That fit me better.

There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Potts came in. "Oh, my!" she gasped in awe. "Don't you dears look lovely!"

We giggled. "Thank you," Belle replied.

"Yeah, I guess I can pull off wearing a dress and looking beautiful after all," I joked.

"And you do it mighty well, child." Mrs. Potts complimented. "Well, are you both ready?" We nodded. "Wonderful! ...Lynn, we're ready for you," I nodded, walking out. "Belle, follow me, if you please,"

Walking down different ends of the hall, I looked back at Belle, who looked over her shoulder and gave me a curious look. I mouthed the words, 'You'll see,' and continued walking. Without even taking a second thought, I walked downstairs, taking an alternate route to the ballroom, while Belle would go her route.

My heart was racing, and only one thought came to mind: _THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!!!_

* * *

A/N: Heck yes it's going to be awesome! ...And if anyone thinks otherwise (raises hockey stick) Well, BRING IT ON!! (gets hit with hockey puck in the forehead) Ow! ...On second thought, don't bring it...


	15. Chapter 15: Tale as Old as Time

I could NOT resist not Not not updating this story... especially with THIS scene! =D

Reviewer Thanks

Neko-Chan4566: Thanks, here you go!

Disclaimer: I only own Lynn.

* * *

I reached the ballroom, and the first thing I saw was Jean standing at the doorway, holding his violin out to me. "Ready, Vio-Lynn?" he asked as he handed me his instrument.

I smiled. "As ready as I've ever been," I said confidently, holding the violin and walking over to a chair, sitting down next to Mrs. Potts.

"And, one, two, three..." Mrs. Potts counted down, and gave me a nod-- the signal to begin.

I began to play, looking up once, seeing Belle and the Beast walk down the stairs, arm-in-arm--- beginning the best part of the movie!

**"Tale as old as time," **Mrs. Potts sang as I played. She looked at me, giving me a smile and a nod.. and I realized-- she wanted me to join in, too!

**"True as it can be," **I sang along. _This is awesome! _I thought, watching as Belle and the Beast walked along, Scruff the footstool running between them. Jean let out a short whistle and patted his 'knee', calling the pet to him.

**"Barely even friends, then somebody bends..."**

**"Unexpectedly," **we sang together, then watched as Belle got up, took the Beast by the hands-- or paws?--- and they walked out to the dance floor. Yes!

**"Just a little change... small to say the least,"**

**"Both a little scared, neither one prepared," **I sang, keeping back a laugh when I noticed the Beast gulp when Belle set his paw on her side.

**"Beauty and the Beast," **we sang in unison.

**"Ever just the same..." **Mrs. Potts sang.

**"Ever a surprise," **I continued.

**"Ever as before..."**

**"Ever just as sure..."**

**"As the sun will rise," **We sang together. I then realized I was triple-tasking: Singing, playing the violin, and watching Belle and the Beast dance... my heart melting through the whole thing.

**"Tale as old as time," **Mrs. Potts continued, Chip nuzzling against her. **"Tune as old as song,"**

**"Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change," **I sang as I continued to play, concentrating on my movement.

**"Learning you were wrong," **Together again. I looked over and saw Lumiere and Cogsworth silently cheering on the Beast. Belle looked my way, and I shot her a wink.

**"Certain as the sun... Rising in the east," **Mrs. Potts continued the song.

**"Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast..."**

Lumiere shushed some of the candles, and they dimmed their flames, and we watched as Belle and the Beast walked out to the balcony. I was so distracted, my tune's volume decreased, luckily I snapped back into concentration for the finale.

**"Tale as old as time..." **I sang, dreamily watching them go.

**"Song as old as rhyme..." **Mrs. Potts sang.

**"Beauty and the Beast..." **we finished together, and I played the final notes of the song.

"Off to the cupboard with you Chip, it's past your bedtime," Mrs. Potts said to Chip, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, love,"

Chip yawned and hopped away, but I caught him peeking out the door. I smiled, then put the violin back in its case, then walked over to Jean. "Here's your violin back," I said. "Thanks again,"

He shrugged. "Anytime," he replied, then looked down at his 'feet', rubbing the back of his 'neck'. "So... while your sister and my master are out, would you like to, um..."

I grabbed him by the hand. "Go for a walk through the garden?"

He nodded. "Sounds great," He held out his elbow and I took it, and arm in arm we walked out to the gardens, and I looked up at the balcony, where I saw Belle and the Beast sitting next to each other. I sighed half-heartedly, realizing... it was almost over.

* * *

A/N: Well, the best scene is over... at least the FIRST best scene is ;) But, you know what this means?

Mob: (raises pitchforks) What?

It's almost o-- uh, I mean, almost time for the mob scene!

Mob: w00t!

I'm in trouble, aren't I? ...Please review, but no flames! (save 'em for your pitchforks for the mob scene)


	16. Chapter 16: Must We Leave?

Okay, sorry for taking so long on this, but here's the next chapter... AUGH!! (runs from angry mob)

Mob: YAAH!!!!

Reviewer Thanks

neko-chan4566: lol I know, it's pretty much the best scene in the movie, right? :D

Disclaimer: (thought I could get away with skipping it...) I don't own any Disney characters in this movie. Only Lynn, and other OCs. Okay? Lets get on with it.

* * *

It was a warm night. The sky was dark blue with shining-white stars decorating it, the moon was out and shining some light, revealing the shadows of the garden. Even at night, it was beautiful. _Mom would SO love to be here, _I found myself thinking, and my joy suddenly mixed with sorrow, and I let out a heavy sigh. I really missed her.

"What's the matter?" Jean asked, noticing my sudden lack of enthusiasm.

"Just thinking about my mom," I said, looking up at the clouds, highlighted by the light of the moon. "She would have loved to have a garden like this."

Jean nodded. "My mother loved gardens, too. Then again, what kind of woman wouldn't love gardens? (Sigh) That's what's hard about being a man... unless you're personally hired to care for a garden, other men ridicule you for it."

"...Just like they ridicule a girl for learning their techniques."

He chuckled. "I guess we're quite the pair-- one is into something manly but isn't a man, and the other is into something feminine but isn't a woman."

"Well, that goes without saying." I smiled at him.

We walked a little further in silence, then stopped and sat down by the fountain. The water glittered in the moonlight, the night sky reflecting on it's clear surface, along with our own reflections. Jean cleared his throat, and if he had a face, I'd guess his expression would show he had something he really wanted to say. "Lynn... Do you like it here, at the castle?"

I thought about it, remembering those years after losing my mother-- staying at a strict orphanage until I was 18, getting rejected by the only affordable college university in town, having to work long hours with minimum wage, Betsy and Betty always keeping me away from Eddie, Tyler always stalking me... Here, I was surrounded by friends, and an opportunity to actually be someone. That's when I realized something-- when the movie ends, I may have to... go back.

"Lynn?" Jean asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? ...Oh! Well, I---" I began to say, but was interrupted.

"Lynn! Are you out here?" Belle's voice called. We turned and saw her and the Beast by the door, and ran up to them.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I want to show you both something," the Beast answered.

"I'll... meet up with you later, then." Jean said, and I couldn't help but sense a bit of disappointment in his voice. All of a sudden, he took my hand in his, bent over and pressed it against his face, and I heard a *smooch*, which obviously meant he kissed it. He let go, gave a courteous bow, and walked away.

"What was _that_ all about?" Belle asked, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh.

I looked at my hand-- the one Jean kissed-- a bit stunned. "I have no idea," I answered, even though I had a clue. "Um... Beast, what did you want to show us?"

The Beast was just as stunned as I was. "Huh? ...Oh, right. Um... Follow me." he said, regaining his thoughts. Belle and I followed him down the corridor, and she quietly giggled and winked at me. I rolled my eyes in reply, shaking my head.

We walked up the stairs of the West Wing, down the corridor that led to the Beast's room, and for a moment I felt an eerie chill, just as I had the first time Belle and I decided to explore the area, but the feeling passed as quickly as it came when I realized that there was nothing to fear this time. We entered his room, and he led us to the stand where the enchanted rose sat, protected by its glass dome, and once again I had the urge to reach out and touch it, and remembered my mother's sweet, gentle, smiling face... But I shook off the feeling, looking at the mirror as the Beast picked it up.

"This mirror can show you anything you want to see,"

"Anything?" I repeated, thinking... what if it could show me...?

He handed it to Belle. "I'd like to see my father, please," she said, looking into the mirror. Green swirls glowed around in it, and we both looked at the image of Maurice... and it was worse than I thought it would be. He was struggling against the wind, coughing with illness but still fighting it to keep moving.

"Oh, my gosh..." I gasped. "He's... He's out in the woods!"

"He shouldn't be! He's too ill!"

"We've got to do something. We've..." I paused, looking at the Beast. He had his back turned to us, but I could still sense his sorrow.

"You should go to him, then." the Beast said, and I could tell it took every bit of his strength to get the words out.

"What?" Belle and I said at the same time.

"You two are no longer my prisoners. You're free,"

"Really?" I asked, in disbelief.

"Yes, you can go."

"Thank you," Belle said, then looked into the mirror. "Hang on, Papa. We're coming!" She turned back to the Beast, handing him the mirror, but he pushed it gently back into her hands.

"Keep it, so that you will always have a way to look back."

They stared into each other's eyes, and Belle ran her fingers through his hair. "Thank you for understanding," And she turned and began walking out.

I began to follow, but paused. I turned to the Beast, and all at once I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. "We'll never forget you," I said to him, then let go and followed Belle, passing Cogsworth on the way.

We quickly ran to our room, changing out of our dresses and into our regular clothes-- her blue dress and apron and my red V-shirt and black pants. "Hey, girls, what's the rush?" Glenda asked as we turned to run out the door.

"Pop needs us." I replied quickly, and we were out the door, running down the stairs and practically jumping on Phillippe and running out the palace gates.

Counting the change of clothes and distance across the halls, we were out within 5 minutes. Maurice was _that_ important to us, and we didn't want to waste a second-- we had to find him, and fast!

As we rushed out into the woods, we heard the Beast let out a sad roar... and I think Phillippe picked up speed.

* * *

It was like Deja Vu. Just a couple days ago, we were walking through the woods looking for Maurice... and now, we were doing the same thing again! "Maurice! Where are you?!" I cried out, my eyes skimming every inch of the forest for a trace of Maurice.

"Papa! ...Oh, where could he be?" Belle said, her worried eyes darting all around.

I grabbed the mirror out of her bag, feeling something else inside--Chip, I knew-- but ignored it. "Show us where to find Maurice," And it glowed, showing the image of Maurice crawling by an old tree, close to the creek. "Belle, he's by the creek!"

"C'mon, Phillippe!" Belle shook the reigns, urging Phillippe to pick up the pace, and we rode through the forest toward the creek.

We got there in ten minutes, and not a minute too soon from the looks of it. Maurice had collapsed on the ground. "Papa/Maurice!" Belle and I both cried out in shock. We quickly climbed off Phillippe and ran to him, and I took off my cloak and covered him with it, and together we got him on Phillippe, and the horse didn't put up a fuss like he did with the Beast.

We began walking down the road, the windy weather finally dying down, but the clouds were still there, showing a sign that a rainstorm was about to begin. ...And to think it was winter two days ago. As we walked down the dirt road toward the village, a thought occurred to me.

"Belle?" I asked.

"Yes?" She replied.

"Why can't we just take him back to the castle?"

She looked at me. "Why would you want to take him back to the castle?"

"Well... if we went back-- and took him with-- then we..." I sighed. I didn't know how to put it into words. "Never mind."

There was a short pause, until Belle asked, "Do you _want_ to go back?"

I didn't have to think about it. "Why not? Everyone accepts us as who we are when we're there, we're surrounded by friends, and we'd be with Beast and..." I almost said 'Jean', but caught myself. "... his servants, and they could possibly help us take care of Maurice and... (sigh) I just don't want to go back to a place where we're outcasts." ...And on the reality concept, it worked on two levels.

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Lynn, believe me, I would give anything to go back... But I don't think Papa would want to return to the castle-- not after what Beast had done. He would rather be at home... and with us."

I wanted to protest, but I felt she was right. "But, what if we told him that the Beast changed? What if we _showed_ him, even?"

"We could... but it would have to wait. He needs to get well, and we're already close to the village now anyway." I sighed sadly, and she patted my back. "Don't worry, Lynn. We'll go back, someday."

_Or tonight, on the contrary. _I thought, and I gasped, realizing what was coming up. The mob...

"Lynn, what's the matter?"

"Huh?" I said, then realized she heard me gasp. "Oh, I just thought I saw a wolf or something... It must have been my imagination."

"I hope so. ...Look, there's our house!" She pointed ahead. Sure enough, right down the road, there was her home.

We tried not to rush, wanting to get Maurice inside ASAP, but within a few minutes, we reached the house. We lifted Maurice down off Phillippe, and Belle draped his arm over her shoulders and carried him in while I tied up Phillippe. As I walked to the door, I saw a snow-man by the stairs... and couldn't resist dropping a flower-pot on its head.

*BONK!*

I grinned, ignoring LeFou's "OOF!!" and walked inside.

* * *

A/N: Hello. Personally, I'd be writing the next chapter, but some of the characters for the next chapter are preparing for the mob scene. And by 'preparing for the mob scene,' I actually mean I'M TIED UPSIDE-DOWN SURROUNDED BY LUNATICS WITH PITCHFORKS!!!

Mob: Write the next chapter! Now!

...How can I write if I'm tied up?

Mob: 0_0 ...Good point. (cut rope)

(The authoress falls on her head) ....Ouch. Please review... and rather than flames, give me some aspirin...


	17. Chapter 17: Bring On the Mob!

I can't… stop… WRITING!!! …And that's a good thing, 'cuz the mob's getting impatient…

Reviewer Thanks

Neko-chan4566: Thanks for the aspirin! And, yes, I am writing another story sort of like this. Just check out my page ;)

BatBImagination: Hmm… Yes. ;) And thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Beauty, and I don't own the Beast. All I own is the OC, and that. Is. IT!

Belle and I sat patiently in Maurice's room, and while she kept an eye on him, I kept an eye out the window, knowing that any minute now, the mob would be coming. _I'd better get ready. _I thought, and I went into my room and grabbed a couple knives, knowing I would need them later. I walked back into Maurice's room, just in time for him to awake. "Belle? …Lynn?" Maurice said, groggily.

"We're right here, Papa." Belle said, taking her father's hand.

"Oh, I thought I'd never see you girls again!" He hugged us both, partaking us in a warm embrace.

"Oh, c'mon, Maurice. You can't get rid of us _that_ easily." I joked, patting his shoulder.

"H-How did you escape from that castle… and from that beast?!"

"We didn't escape, Papa." Belle said, smiling. "He let us go."

"Yeah-- we didn't even have to nag him!" I added. Apparently, I was in a joking mood.

"That horrible beast?!"

I shrugged. "He's not horrible anymore,"

"Lynn is right, Papa. He's… _changed _somehow." Belle said, an inquisitive look developing on her face. Like she can't tell what's different about the Beast!

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from Belle's bag, and Chip fell out, spinning wobbly on the mirror. "Well, look who decided to hitch a ride!" I laughed.

"Ah, a stowaway," Belle giggled.

"Hi," Chip said, sheepishly.

"Well, I didn't think I'd see _you_ again!" Maurice said, chuckling as Chip hopped into his hand. "Hello, again!"

Chip then turned to us, giving us a sad look. "How come you guys left?" he asked. "Don't you like us anymore?"

"Hey, we've liked you, and we always will," I promised Chip, taking him into my hand. "Right, Belle?"

"Of course! It's just that---" Belle began to explain, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Who could that be at this hour?"

_I have a pretty good idea… _I thought bitterly, setting Chip down on the window and looking out, seeing-- as promised-- a mob, standing by a carriage to take Maurice to the Loony Bin. "Doesn't look like a 'Welcome Home' party," I muttered, then whispered to Chip, "You stay here, in case something happens." Chip nodded, and I walked out of the room.

"What on earth is going on?" Maurice demanded, walking out of the room after me.

"Maurice, get back in bed. You're still ill…"

But he just let out a scoff. "I'm not ill enough to see why the whole village is outside the house,"

I shook my head. There was no keeping Maurice in bed at a time like this, and I followed him to the door, reaching down and making sure my knives were strapped tightly on my belt, then pulled my shirt over them to keep them hidden. _No turning back, now. _I thought.

"Belle…?" Maurice peeked out.

"Maurice!" LeFou exclaimed, an evil smirk on his face, once he saw Maurice. …And, to my distaste, noticed me as well. "And hel-LO Lynn!"

"What do you want, half-pint?!" I demanded, sneering at the lacky.

"They've come to take Papa away," Belle said, then lowered her head sadly. "And you, too, Lynn."

It was as if a load of bricks landed on me, taking me by surprise. "WHAT?! What do they want with me?!" I thought carefully about it. "And Maurice?!"

"Because he was raving about a beast!" LeFou said, then turned to the crowd. "We all heard it!" The men jeered in reply. "Tell us again, Maurice, how big was this beast?"

"It was huge! Maybe 9-- no, 10 feet tall!" Maurice said, but only got laughter out of the crowd.

"Actually, he seemed more like 9-and-a-half feet…" I said, but shook off my humorous mood. "But the beast IS real! Belle and I both saw it!" But no one was listening, and a few men came and grabbed Maurice and I by the arms. "Hey, let go!" I looked back, watching as Gaston approached Belle, and my rage only increased.

"You know, I could help you out of this," LeFou said, walking next to me and grinning.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, yeah? How, by offering to be someone else's lacky?"

"No… If you marry me!"

I glowered in shock at LeFou. "Fat. CHANCE!" I kicked him in the gut on 'chance'.

He glowered at me. "Take her away-- her and that crazy inventor, too!"

Suddenly, everyone paused as Belle ran out of the house. "The Beast is real-- and I can prove it!" she cried out, then looked into the mirror. "Show me the Beast!"

Everyone stared in horror at the image of the Beast, roaring in sorrow, and I felt a touch of sadness in my heart at such a sight. I pulled away from the men who had grabbed me, and stood next to Belle. "Told ya so!" I boasted to the crowd, then turned to Gaston. "Eat _them_ apples, Gas-Head."

"Is it an evil beast?" Someone in the crowd asked, and I couldn't help but scoff.

"No, he's actually very kind and gentle," Belle replied, looking into the mirror and smiling. "He's my friend."

I saw the look on Gaston's face, and almost laughed at the jealousy in his eyes. "Yeah, he's the coolest guy we've ever met!" I said, and it was the truth… and I loved rubbing the truth in Gaston's face!

Gaston glowered at us. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two of you had feelings for this monster!" he said.

"He's not a monster, Gaston! _You_ are!" Belle snapped. She was getting cooler every minute!

Gaston sneered and grabbed the mirror. "Belle's as crazy as her father and friend! That beast will make off with your children! He'll come after them in the night!"

"No!" Belle shouted.

"We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall! I say, we KILL the beast!" Gaston declared.

"And I say, you've gone off the deep-end!" I shouted, but my voice was drained out from the jeers from the crowd. And, thus, the Mob's Song began…

"**We're not safe until he's dead," **One man began to sing.

"**He'll come stalking us night," **Another man sang.

"**Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite," **A woman sang in worry, holding her child close to her.

"**He'll wreck havoc on our village if we let him wander free," **Another man added.

"**So it's time to take some action, boys," **Gaston sang (much to my ears' displeasure). **"It's time to follow me….!" **He grabbed a torch and threw it at a haystack, setting it on fire.

"He's throwing fire, and everyone thinks _we're_ crazy?!" I scoffed.

"**Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows, it's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride…" **Gaston crept around the crowd, scaring LeFou to hide behind a woman's skirt, but he shoved the lacky out of his hiding place. **"Say a prayer, and we're there, at the drawbridge of a castle, and there's something truly terrible inside!" **he then took out the mirror, and held the image of the Beast up close to LeFou. If I wasn't so angry, I'd enjoy his fright. **"It's a beast-- he's got fangs, razor sharp ones… Massive paws, killer claws for the feast." **He let go of LeFou and stood up straight, showing the image to everyone in the crowd. **"Hear him roar, see him foam-- But we're not coming home, 'til he's dead-- Good and dead! Kill the beast!"**

"Over my dead body!" I shouted, grabbing Gaston.

"We're not letting you do this!" Belle cried, beating Gaston's arm.

But he just shoved us away. "If you're not with us, you're against us!" he snapped, then turned to the other men. "Bring the old man!" Another man grabbed Maurice while another grabbed me, and they began dragging us toward the cellar. "We can't have them running off to warn the creature!"

"Too bad, pretty-boy!" I snapped, and I kicked the man who had a hold of me in the 'place where the sun don't shine', and took off. Several other men tried to grab me, but I punched and kicked them all, putting my fighting skills to good use. But I was captured from behind by the scum-ball himself. Gaston. "Let me go, you creep! There's no way you're getting to the castle--- you don't even know which way it is!" I wished that I didn't say that.

Gaston grinned. "You're right-- You can lead us!"

"Um… I have a bad sense of direction…"

He gripped my arms tighter. "Show us the way to the castle, or I'll have my men burn down your house-- keeping Belle in the cellar!"

I glared at him with so much hatred that it would make the Beast's glare look petty. "Belle's right. You ARE a monster!"

"What will it be?" He raised his hand to give the order.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine…"

Gaston grinned. "I thought so…" he then turned to the other villagers. "Lynn will lead us to the castle! We'll rid the village of the beast-- Who's with me?!"

Hands, torches, and weapons shot up in the air in volunteering, followed by cheers and yells. "You people are nuts---" I began to say, but Gaston pushed me, urging me to lead the way.

"**Light your torch, mount your horse," **The mob sang.

"**Screw your courage to the sticking place," **Gaston sang… and I could find so many reasons why that line should have been left out (if you know what I mean).

"**We're counting on Lynn to show the way," **…That line could have been left out, too, making guilt twist inside my gut. **"Through a mist, through a wood, where within a haunted castle, something's lurking that you don't see every day…" **We reached the woods, marching through it… with me in the lead. **"It's a beast-- tall as a mountain. We won't rest, until he's good and deceased… Sally forth, tally ho! Grab your sword, grab your bow, praise the Lord and here we go!"**

"**We'll lay siege on the castle and bring back his head!" **Gaston declared, rearing up on his horse.

I felt terrible, leading the villagers to the castle, but I smiled, knowing what was in store for them. "What are you smiling about?!" LeFou demanded, catching my smirk.

I shrugged. "Oh… just can't wait 'til we reach the castle." I replied, almost happily, and fastened my pace.

"**We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us," **The mob continued to sing (and I almost laughed at that line). **"And this monster is mysterious, at least. Bring your guns, bring your knives! Save your children and your wives! We'll save our village and our lives… We'll kill the beast!"**

_Or just end up with the biggest butt-whooping of your life. _I thought as we neared the castle… Funny, when you ride by horse to the castle, it takes hours, but when you're walking with a singing mob, it only takes a few minutes-- either that, or I unknowingly found a shorter route. I looked up at the castle, hoping the servants were watching…

**3rd**** Person POV**

The servants stood around a room, depressed that Belle and Lynn had left them… taking their hope of breaking the spell with. "I knew it! I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up!" Cogsworth snapped.

"Maybe it would have been better if those girls never came at all!" Lumiere said, pouting. Suddenly, Scruff-- the footstool-- barked frantically by the window, and Lumiere's pouting turned to excitement. "Could it be??"

"Are they back??" Mrs. Potts asked, hopingly.

They looked out the window and gasped. "Sacre Bleu! Invaders!"

"Enroachers!" Cogsworth gasped

"And they have the mirror…" Mrs. Potts said, then saw a familiar face at the head of the crowd and gasped. "…and LYNN!!"

"They must have captured her," Lumiere said, frantically. "And they've forced her to lead them here!" …That's what he was hoping, or if Lynn had led them to the castle on her own… He shook away the idea, knowing Lynn would never to such a thing to them.

"Go warn the master!" Cogsworth ordered. "If it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them! Who's with me?!" But the servants were already out the door, shutting it behind them and leaving Cogsworth in the dark. "Augh!"

Meanwhile, Jean was looking out the window, watching in horror as a mob approached. "Take whatever booty you can find, but remember-- The beast is MINE!" A man in the front of the mob shouted.

Suddenly, someone at the head of the mob shouted at him, "Don't bet your money on it, Jerk-Face!" And Jean's heart skipped a beat when he realized it was Lynn. _She came back! _he thought.

"Jean! C'mon, we've got to fend off those intruders!" One of the other servants called to him. Jean didn't hesitate to hurry, knowing that Lynn was out there, and he and the rest of the servants climbed down the stairs.

"**Hearts ablaze, banners high, we go marching into battle, unafraid though the danger just increased…" **The servants sang as they rushed to the entrance, ready for the battle of their lives…

**Lynn's POV**

The mob carried a large battling-ram… log… thing. **"Raise the flag, sing the song, here we come-- we're fifty strong, and fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong…" **They slammed the log against the door. **"Lets kill the beast!"**

"Sheesh, who wrote _those_ lyrics?" I scoffed, critically. I looked up at the balcony where the Beast's room was, and I couldn't help but see him looking down at the mob-- and at me.

"**Kill the beast!"**

Guilt engulfed me once more, and I shook my head in shame, turning away from his gaze…

"**Kill the beast!"**

…I was starting to really hate this song.

**3****rd**** Person POV**

Mrs. Potts scrambled into the Beast's room. "Pardon me, master--" she said, out of breath.

"Leave me in peace," The Beast said, sorrow still in his soul.

"But sir, the castle is under attack-- and the mob has Lynn!"

At the part about Lynn, the Beast quickly looked out the window, seeing Lynn in the crowd, just in time for her to look up and see him. She shook her head, turning her gaze away, and the Beast felt pain in his heart once more. _She doesn't care… _he thought, and turned away from the window in sadness, looking at the enchanted rose.

"What shall we do, master?" Mrs. Potts asked.

The Beast shook his head. "It doesn't matter now… just let them come." he said.

Mrs. Potts didn't know what to say-- she had never seen her master act like this before! Sighing sadly, she left the room to assist the others.

**Lynn's POV**

"**Kill the beast!" **

*BAM!*

"**Kill the beast!"**

*BAM!*

"I don't know what's worse-- the chanting or the banging!" I muttered, covering my ringing ears.

"**Kill the beast!"**

*BAM!*

"**Kill the beast!"**

*BAM!*

_When are they going to open the stupid door?! _I thought, getting annoyed with the constant banging and chanting.

"**KILL THE BEAST!"**

*BAM!!*

The doors burst open at last. _Finally! _I thought, following the mob inside the dark castle. I looked around at all the still furniture (who I knew were the servants) and I looked at a lone coat rack and winked at it, letting Jean know I was on his side. I took long strides toward the stairs, knowing Gaston would be running up them, and couldn't keep myself from bursting out laughing at the next line…

"NOW!!!" Lumiere shouted, and all at once the lights came on and the servants attacked, beginning history's first ever Man vs. Furniture brawl.

I wanted to watch the fight-- even partake in it!-- but I caught a glimpse of Gaston running up the stairs and escaping. …That is, until I would reach him. I bounded up the stairs after him.

A/N: w00t! Big fight scene coming up! You're not going to want to miss this! …If you do, you suck. Review, but no flames unless you have Lumiere (as a candlestick) with you!


	18. Chapter 18: Gaston's Final Hunt

Good news! The plot bunnies attacked---

Plot bunnies: YAAAAH!! VICTORY!!!!!

--- so I came up with an idea for the next chapter!

*CRASH!! BOOM!!! POW!!*

…Dumb bunnies! As if the mob wasn't bad enough…

Reviewer Thanks

Neko-chan4566: *sniffle* I know! I can't believe it's almost over already (obviously I'm a fast writer).

Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast. …But that would be awesome if I did!

Gaston snuck down the corridor, kicking open a door and aiming his arrow, preparing to make his kill. Little did he know that I had better Ninja skills, and was right behind him, my knives drawn. I paused, seeing a familiar door-- the door to the fencing room! I snuck in, then grabbed a sword, and snuck back out. Gaston was getting closer to the Beast's room, so I had to make my move quick.

"Going somewhere, Gas-Head?" I called to him, startling him enough to shoot an arrow at me, but I quickly dodged it. "Nice aim."

He drew another arrow and aimed it at me. "Don't make me waste my last arrow on you, girl!" he snarled. "I'd hate to kill a woman-- even if she _does_ act like a man."

I took out my fencing sword. "If I'm a man, what does that make you? …Oh, that's right-- a monster!"

He put away his bow and arrow and took out his knife. "Fine, if you're strong enough, come fight me like the man you think you are!"

"About time!" I said, then ran at him, sword ready. I aimed for his chest, but he used his knife to block it, and I then tried to go for his arm, which was a bad choice, for he stuck his knife in my sword's handle and twisted it out of my hand-- all the while cutting my knuckle. I hissed in pain, then grabbed my own knives and sliced his arm. He yelled in pain, then kicked me in the gut, slamming me into the wall. _Dummy! What were you thinking?! You're not tough enough to fight him! _A voice said in my head, making me remember just how 'tough' I was.

Gaston approached me, grabbed my knife--- and pinned my shirt to the wall. "Now, be a good _girl_ for once and stay here, while I go kill your Beast-friend." he spat at me.

I tried to free myself, but the knife was lodged deep into the wall. I watched as Gaston kicked open the Beast's door. "No!" I struggled harder to get free, trying to pry the knife loose, watching as Gaston aimed his arrow. "No, Gaston, _don't do it_!"

But he did, and I heard the Beast roar in pain. It was so terrible to hear, and I began to wince. _I don't care how strong I am! I've got to help him! _I thought, then I pushed away from the wall, ripping the shoulder of my shirt and freeing myself. I then ran down the hall into the Beast's room, where I saw the window smashed… and Gaston had the Beast at the edge! "What's the matter, Beast?!" Gaston taunted with a chuckle. "Too _kind_ and _gentle_ to fight back?!" The Beast looked away in sorrow, as Gaston pried a stalactite from the side of the edge, ready to clobber him.

"You always kick them when they're down, don't you?!" I called to Gaston, making him freeze. The Beast looked up in surprise.

He scowled at me. "I thought I told you to stay put, girl!"

"I never do as I'm told," I pulled out my other knife, and approached him--

--but I forgot about the weather conditions, and slipped as soon as I stepped out. _Oh, how I HATE the rain! _I thought bitterly, also cursing myself for my lack of coordination. Gaston grabbed me by the throat. "How quaint. You came to see your friend off! …But I'm afraid you're going to miss it." I saw the Beast trying to get up, but before he could Gaston threw me over the edge---

"Augh!!--- Whoa!" Before I fell, the Beast had caught me and pulled me back up. "Thanks, buddy. I owe you one!"

"Lynn! Beast!!" We heard someone cry, and looked down and saw Belle down by the gates on Phillippe, Maurice by her side, and I was so thankful Chip stayed with them.

"Belle," the Beast gasped.

"It's over, Beast!" Gaston yelled, approaching us. "for you, _and_ you're tomboy friend!"

"Gaston! No!!" Belle cried.

Gaston swung, but the Beast stood up and grabbed his club and roared in his face. I got up and-- watching myself on the slick ground-- kicked the hunter in the gut. "That's what you get for pinning me to a wall!" I snapped at him.

He swung at us again, but we both dodged, then ran and hid in the shadows. The Beast crouched down, blending in with the gargoyle statues, while I hid behind one next to him. "Were you in love with her, Beast?!" Gaston taunted, smashing a statue. "And what about you, Lynn? Did you fancy the hideous creature?! No one would love either of you! You're both freaks of nature!!"

I jumped out in front of him and punched him in the face. "You're not so charming yourself!" I looked behind him and saw the Beast sneaking up on him, and I grinned…

…Unfortunately, Gaston read my expression and spun around, swinging his club at the Beast, who dodged. "Give it up and stick with your own kind, Beast! _Belle is mine_!" He prepared to swing again, but I ran up and jammed my elbow into his ribcage, making him drop the club.

"That's for my sister, creep!"

The Beast then grabbed him by the throat and held him over the edge. "No! Wait! Please! Let me go-- I'll do anything!"

I actually saw the fear in his eyes, how helpless and scared he truly was when he was defenseless… just how I must have looked when I was in the same situation, at a point where I had no hope and didn't know what to do. The Beast had his back turned to me, but I knew what he was thinking-- Gaston had said the same thing Belle had when we first came to the castle. He turned and looked at me, and I shook my head. _You're not a killer… Let him go. _my eyes seemed to say, and he nodded solemnly.

He turned back to Gaston, stepped away from the edge, and looked angrily into his eyes. "Get out," I heard him whisper.

"Beast!" We heard Belle cry, then looked up at the balcony, where she stood.

"Well, look who decided to join the fun!" I called up to her, smiling. I held on to the Beast's hand, and together we climbed up the roof toward her. Once we were close enough, I let go of his hand, and watched as he took hold of Belle's. …Unfortunately, I was too distracted by the heart-melting moment that I forgot about Gaston. "Beast! Look out---"

I was too late. Gaston had snuck up and stabbed the Beast in the side, and he swiped at the hunter, who ducked his blow--- but didn't duck mine. I punched Gaston again, but not hard enough, for he still stood. "Now you _die_!" he shouted at me, then swiped his knife at me, but I used mine and blocked his, pushing him back. This time, he lost his coordination and slipped. "_Aaaaauuggh_….!" And he fell to his death.

"That's what you get for messing with my sister and--- (gasp) Beast!" I quickly climbed over the balcony, hurrying over to the Beast's side.

"You both… came back…" The Beast whispered.

"Only for you, big guy." I tried to hold back my tears.

"We're here now, it'll be okay," Belle said, stroking his face.

The Beast grunted in pain, and we both knew it wouldn't be alright. I began to weep, remembering how much pain my mother was in… and now it felt as if I was going through it all over again. "Don't worry, Beast. You'll pull through-- if you can handle Gaston, you can handle anything!"

But he knew otherwise. "At least… I got to see you two… one last time." he whispered, stroking Belle's hair and putting a paw on my shoulder.

"Don't say that… please don't say that." I began to sob, holding his paw in my hand tightly. _Please don't go… _I begged.

He shut his eyes, and his body fell limp then, and Belle and I both started to cry. "Don't leave…" Belle cried. "I… I love you,"

"Same here," I whispered. I looked over, seeing the servants watching sadly from the doorway, and saw the last petal fall from the rose.

Nothing else happened.

_C'mon… the spell's supposed to be broken now! _I thought, shutting my eyes tight. But when I opened them, the Beast was still lying there motionless, with Belle crying over him. "We really love you… Both of us." I said, then buried my face into my hands and began to sob. _He's not changing back! What went wrong?! He's not changing back…_

I felt something fall by me, and lifted my face from my hands, watching as beams of lights shot down from the sky around us, and the Beast's body began to rise. Belle and I-- yes I-- both watched in amazement as his body glowed, and light emitted from his hands and feet. _Freaking AWESOME!! _In a flash of light, he had changed, and floated back down to the ground.

Belle watched as the man before her stood up, looked at himself, then turned to us, and for the first time she saw who he truly was. "Alright, who are you and what did you do with our Beast?" I said, but smiled.

"Belle, Lynn… It's me!" He said.

Belle walked up to him and looked into his eyes. "It _is_ you!" she gasped.

_No duh, _I thought. I watched as they-- slowly-- embraced in a kiss. In a swirling, sparkling mist, the wind blew, and suddenly the sky became brighter, and the dark, Gothic look of the castle disappeared-- gargoyles turned to angels, trees grew leaves, the castle had a better paint job…

And the servants all turned human, one by one. "Lumiere! Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts!" The Prince exclaimed as they each transformed, then trapped them in a hug. "Look at us!"

"Mama! Mama!" Chip called, running in on Scruff. He then turned into a real boy (pardon the Pinocchio reference) and Scruff turned back into his doggy self.

Suddenly, a man with shaggy blonde hair, wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and a green top-hat came running in. "Lynn!" he called, looking around, then turned and smiled at me. "There you are! …I was worried something had happened to you,"

I stood there, confused. Who was this guy? How did he know me? I stared at him, up and down. That top hat… that scrawny figure… that voice… "Jean?? Is it really you??" I gasped.

"The one and only, my dear Vio-Lynn." …That proved it. I ran up, laughing happily, and hugged him tightly. I stared into his brown eyes, and as if Disney-fate had it, kissed him on the lips.

We all walked down the steps, where we saw all the servants rejoicing at the broken spell. "Lets hear it for Belle and Lynn-- the girls who made this possible!" One of them cheered, and the servants applauded us.

Maurice ran up and hugged us both. "Girls! Oh, I'm so glad you're both safe, especially you, Lynn-- I saw you trying to fight Gaston!" he exclaimed, then looked around. "By the way, where is he?"

Belle and I looked at each other, and I sighed. "Let's just say, he finally killed the worst beast of all-- himself." I said, and Maurice stared at me in startled confusion. "He slipped and fell off the roof, trying to kill the Beast and I."

Maurice sighed and shook his head. "Poor Gaston… Well, I guess that's what happens when you fill yourself with pride."

"Tell me about it," The Prince said, and I knew that he knew what it was like when he had been as conceited. But that was over now, we all knew.

"What are we going to tell the villagers?" Maurice asked.

I looked at Belle, smiling. "Say, sis, how about you tell the whole village a story?" I suggested, knowing exactly what we could tell the villagers.

A/N: Last chapter is coming up--- WHOA!!

*twang!*

(cow flies over-head)

*moo!* …*Splat!*

Oh, very funny, guys!! Just review already!


	19. Chapter 19: It's Just Begun

And at long last, here's the final chapter!

Mob/Readers: WHYYYY? (burst into tears)

…Hey, they didn't throw anything this time! =D

Reviewer Thanks

Neko-chan4566: Thank you for sticking with my story ^-^ I'll be writing more fics like this in the future, so don't worry.

Disclaimer: As fate would have it, I don't own Beauty and the Beast, only Lynn-- but that's good enough for me!

When we arrived at the village, we saw several villagers in a beaten-up condition-- the result of history's first Man vs. Furniture brawl. Some of them ran up to us, furious and shocked. "What happened at that castle? Where's Gaston?" One of them, a man with a brown handle-bar mustache and apron, demanded.

I took in a deep breath, and took off my hat in respect. "He died killing the most vicious, conniving monster he's ever hunted." I said. _Himself. _I added in my head. This caught everyone's attention, and they wanted all the details. "Hey, don't ask me for the good stuff…" I stepped aside, making a path for the Prince. "After all, it's _his_ story."

"Who are you?" An elderly woman asked the Prince.

"I am Adam, the Prince of the castle." The Prince, Adam, said. There were surprised murmurs among the crowd at this information.

"If you're the Prince… then what was with the Beast?" A man with a black beard asked. "Belle and Maurice said it was in your castle!"

Adam gave a great sigh. "Yes… Years ago, when I was a young boy… I allowed that Beast into my castle, not thinking nor caring about what happened." The people gasped. "I know-- I was foolish back then, thinking that I could handle anything. But I was wrong, and for my mistake my servants and we became prisoners of the Beast for ten years… until Belle and Lynn came along." The crowd looked at us, and we just shrugged modestly.

"But, they said that the Beast was their friend…" One of the villagers, a man with a brown beard and hat, said as he eyed us warily.

"He put us under a spell," I added, sighing shamefully. "He cast a spell on the entire kingdom, where the furniture came to life, and the entire domain was surrounded with darkness. He kept us as prisoners on the condition that Maurice could be free, and once he was the Beast cast a spell on us, making it to wear we could never leave unless we would never speak of him if he let us free."

"…And, the spell was broken when Gaston killed him." Belle added, then looked down sadly. Man, she was a good actor!

"And then they found me, and freed me and my servants from our dark prison." Adam said… and it was true-- we did free them from their prison: the curse. He took us by the hands. "If they hadn't have come along, I would be trapped in that castle forever." He looked up at the sky. "And, I suppose I owe Gaston my thanks too. If he didn't come to the castle, Belle and Lynn wouldn't have returned."

I shrugged at his remark. I guess Gaston did sort of help end the curse-- in a maniacal, murderous, jealous sort of way. "Yep. No one knows how to fight a Beast like Gaston." I said, then shook my head with a sigh. "If only he was more careful…" …_Careful about who he messed with, via me and my friends. _I thought.

"How did he …die?" LeFou asked, and I saw a great sadness in his eyes. He really looked up to Gaston, and now he was gone forever. For the first time, I actually felt sorry for the twerp.

I sighed. "They were on the top of the castle, and Gaston stabbed the Beast, but the Beast gave one last swing before he died and…" I looked at Adam, who shrugged. "…he knocked him off the roof, and then the Beast fell with him, his body turning to ashes." I formed tears in my eyes, and pretended to sob. "I was on the roof during the whole thing, trying to stop him, and if I got up there sooner--- *sniffle*" I let the sentence hang there, and let my words sink in.

"…How do we know YOU didn't kill him?" One of the three Gaston-fan-girls, or the Bimbettes as they're called, accused me.

"Because when we were prisoners, the Beast took away her weapons so SHE couldn't kill HIM." Belle said, coming to my rescue. "She drew her knives the first night we were there, but he was too quick and grabbed her wrists, and almost broke them unless she handed them over. I was there, begging him not to harm her…"

"But he's gone now, and it's all over." Adam said, relief in his voice. "Finally, it's all over."

The villagers had bought our story. We went back to the castle, with them following us, to find Gaston's body. We found it in the gardens, fallen into a patch of red roses. The Bimbettes bawled, and LeFou ran away, too stunned to speak, while the rest of the villagers collected his body and put it in a casket they made for the hunter. We buried him in the woods by his favorite hunting spot-- his fellow huntsmen told us he always went to a specific spot-- and we hammered a cross above his grave and said a prayer for his soul. Even though he was a conceited jerk, he deserved a proper funeral at least-- well, that's what Belle said, I disagreed but didn't protest.

After the funeral, we went back to the village, and on the way back I saw LeFou, staring blankly into oblivion-- a shell of a man. That was the last time I ever saw him, and I never saw him again.

"You coming down, Lynn?" Belle asked me as she headed for the door.

"I'll be down in a minute." I told her, putting up my hair.

It was a week since we broke the curse, and Adam had decided to throw a celebration for his union with Belle. Yes, you heard right-- they were now together, to rule the castle together. I was even allowed to stay, as long as I took good care of the garden… which I did, of course.

I looked into the mirror, at my dress-- the same dress I wore when Belle and Adam first danced together (when he was the Beast). I sighed. _The movie is ending… now what? _I thought. I didn't want to go back to reality… I wanted to stay here, where I felt I actually belonged.

"You don't have to go back…" I heard a voice behind me say, and I spun around and saw a woman with blonde hair, wearing a beautiful green dress and tiara. I had never seen her before, but her appearance made it obvious-- she was the Enchantress.

"You… You're--" I stammered, surprised.

She chuckled. "Do not be surprised by my presence, child. I merely came to thank you for playing your part in breaking the spell. I knew you would be a fine addition."

I stared at her, stunned. "You mean… You're the one who pulled me into this world?"

She nodded. "Yes. I heard your wish, and I granted it. You asked for a better life, and what better life would be than this one? You are now part of the story, Lynn, and your story has just begun…" And she disappeared in a shower of glitter.

My story had only just begun? What could _that_ mean? _Looks like I'll be here a while, _I thought, and the idea made me smile. _Somewhere in Heaven, my mother laughs with joy._

I walked out the door, and stepped into the ballroom. Over the week, the servants had spiffed the place up good as new. All the villagers (save LeFou and the Bimbettes) attended the celebration, and I stood by Jean, and we watched as-- for the second time-- Belle and Adam walked down the staircase, and danced on the floor.

"Well, Lumiere, what say we let bigots be bigots?" I heard Cogsworth say, walking up to Lumiere.

"Of course! I told you Belle would break the curse." Lumiere said, watching Belle and Adam dance by.

Cogsworth chuckled. "I beg to differ, but I believe _I_ was the one who said she would."

"No you didn't! You were against it!"

"Now, listen here, you…you daft imbecile---"

"Enguarde, you pompous fool---"

And, once again, Lumiere and Cogsworth began to fight. I sighed and shook my head, and stepped between them. "Guys! Guys! It doesn't matter who said what--" I said, then pointed my hand to Belle and Adam. "What matters is that the spell is broken."

"Yes, and we can all finally live happily ever after," Jean added, then turned to me. "May I have this dance?"

I grinned and shrugged, and let him lead me to the dance floor, and I saw that several others and their lovers joined in. As we danced around the room, I could hear music…

_Tale as old as Time…_

_Song as old as Rhyme…_

_Beauty and the Beast…_

A/N: The Enchantress was right-- Lynn's story just begun! …Yes, a sequel shall follow-- maybe.

Mob: WHAT WAS THAT? (hold up pitchforks and torches)

Uh, I mean definitely! There will _definitely_ be a sequel!

Mob: Yays! (throw confetti)

(finally, they throw something good)

Review! No flames, or--

Mob: We'll come after YOU next!

…Yeah.


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